


Sand Scourge

by Half_PintGladiator



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Action/Adventure, Dysfunctional Relationships, F/F, Nisha lives au, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-04-09 05:27:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4335620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Half_PintGladiator/pseuds/Half_PintGladiator
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As her high noon showdown reaches its conclusion, Nisha has a moment of regret. She fires off an Echo in hopes of being saved from her impending demise. To her chagrin, her rescue comes in the hand (and hook) of the notoriously cheerful pirate Captain Scarlett. Backstabbing and romance on the high seas-- erm, sands-- ensues.<br/>Nisha Lives AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Sheriff's Fall

**Author's Note:**

> I completely blame this on one of my best friends. He hates Nisha/Jack and Scarlett is his favorite NPC... So naturally I ended up writing this for him. Except... apparently I can't do a oneshot. More will come... eventually. The chapter's ending is a bit rushed, but things will smooth out as I work on the plot.

  
Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to challenge the Vault Hunters to a showdown at high noon. But then again, perhaps she wasn't thinking clearly, which was a fair conclusion. Ever since she joined the effort to raid the vault on Elpis, Nisha's mind had started to wander... She was supposed to be one of the good guys, right? One of the heroes? But the bullet that bit into her face, knocking her off the building burned. That thought that heroes never die was suddenly wiped from her mind as she plummeted to the ground; it was over. She reached into her trench coat, jamming a button on her Echo, hoping that someone out there would come for her. Someone that wasn't a Vault Hunter. Or... someone who wasn't Jack.

  
*****

  
Athena heard her Echo device go off over the din of the gunfire surrounding her, but she had much bigger concerns than whoever it was that wanted to speak to her.

  
"Springs, get down! Let me handle these jackasses!"

  
"Bloody hell, do they ever stop shootin' down here?"

  
Gunshots rang around them and the gladiator lifted Aspis, fixing their attackers with a glare. The camp had been abandoned; at least until they wanted the parts of the vending machine. Typical. The sound of her Echo died down as she mowed down the bandit threat as Janey ransacked the old Dahl vending machines. Both women were startled by the silence that settled in over them after the last of the marauders fell.

  
"Well, that could have gone better."

  
"Looking at what I got, we're going to be set for the next two months. Is that an actuator over there? Crikey, make that five months! Oh, and Athena... as exciting as this was, I'd rather not get shot at."

  
"It's Pandora. They shoot at anything that moves here."

  
"Let's just get back to Hollow Point before I have to jump you on the spot."

  
Athena tugged at her scarf, absentmindedly digging in her backpack to switch her Echo to silent. It was probably just another bounty hunter trying to lure her out. As far as they knew, her echo was disconnected.

  
****

  
"This is Hunter Helquist of Hyperion Truth Broadcasting. Once more the Vault Hunters have struck down a valued member of the community. The Sheriff of Lynchwood, Nisha Kadam, is dead. It has been confirmed that her death was ordered by the bandit Brick. Handsome Jack is calling for the deaths of any and all Vault Hunters involved in the murder. See your Hyperion Bounty Board for more details. This is Hunter Helquist signing off."

  
*****

  
Nisha sure as hell didn't know what she was expecting, but she was certain death didn't hurt like a bitch. She managed to open one eye, but the other remained firmly shut no matter how much she attempted to pry it open. Deciding it wasn't worth the effort, she instead focused on sitting up. Pain shot through her shoulder and head, sapping her strength. She managed to lift her shoulders just slightly off the mattress before she fell back, groaning softly.

  
"Well, would you look at who's finally awake."

  
Oh hell. She was expecting a different cheery, accented voice. One not attached to a serial backstabber.

  
"Guess I am in hell, after all."

  
"Pleasure to see you too, Nisha. After I was kind enough to go and rescue my bee-eff-eff from certain death."

  
"Where exactly am I?"

  
"Well, you're not dead, for one. Where else would you be, but the Buccaneer's Bacchanal?"

  
"You brought me onto your ship?"

  
"Yup! Where else should I have taken you? I'm not about to leave my crew alone on my ship. Last time I did that I had to... well, it got ugly."

  
Nisha shifted on the bed until she could meet the pirate's... eye. Scarlett grinned at her, her one good eye creasing. She was propping up her chin with her good hand, her hook dangling off the side of the rather ornate chair.

  
"Uh-huh. And where on the ship am I?"

  
"My quarters, of course! Couldn't have you bunking with the crew."

  
"Alright, how long do I have before you go and stab me in the back?"

  
The grin was wiped off the pirate's face. Scarlett leaned back in her chair, lifting her hat off of her head and setting it on a nearby nightstand.

  
"Dunno. I try not to stab anyone in the back when they're down. There's one kind of upper hand and then there's another. I'd like to consider myself an honorable backstabber."

  
The former sheriff snorted, rolling her eyes. A pain shot through her skull and she swore through her teeth, clutching at her eye.

  
"I wasn't too sure what to do about that. I could have gotten you a prosthetic, but I'm not sure how you'd take to the whole one-eyed look. Not everyone can pull it off as well as I do."

  
Nisha grunted in response, riding out the last of the agony in her cranium. Scarlett didn't seem to notice and turned to remove her epulet. When the throbbing subsided the lawbringer found her eyes drawn to where the pirate had tossed her belt and other accessories.

  
"What the hell are you doing?"

  
"Getting ready to go to bed, that's what."

  
"Where are you going to sleep?"

  
Nisha's one good eye was darting around the room, but from where she was laying all she could see was the small space left on the mattress in front of her, and the captain.

  
"In my bed, of course."

  
"No, no, no, no."

  
"My ship, my rules. I could help you move to the floor, but you might end up on the other end of the cabin since we're moving the ship to the other end of Wurmwater. I hope you don't get sandsick."

  
The gold eyed woman tried to sit up in an attempt to move away from her companion, only to find that Scarlett had risen and was making her way to the other side of the sizable mattress.

  
"Oh calm down, I don't have wandering... hand. Pretend that wasn't awkward. I'll get something set up for you in the morning. After some much needed beauty rest. For you, not me, I'm already stunning."

  
"I hate you, Scarlett."

  
"No, no you don't."

  
Nisha could just picture the grin on the redhead's face. She had a desperate urge to use her whip to wipe--- no, that was not the train of thought she had intended. A loud clunk from the other side of the bed startled her and she whipped around as fast as she could manage. Her head spun from the movement, her vision blurring.

  
"Really, take it easy, Nisha. That was just my leg. The... metal one. Not my real one. I'd be impressed, and terrified if my real one dropped off like that."

  
The brunette was glaring at her with one eye, which made the pirate snicker to herself.

  
"Alright, I am taking off the hook. Look, I'm doing it realllllyyyyyy slowly. There. Now I have only one had I can grope you with."

  
"What?!"

  
"I'm kidding. Mostly."

  
Nisha inched away, glaring at her companion the entire way. Scarlett smirked, lifting both shoulders in a shrug that easily read 'your loss'. The pirate was sound asleep not long after crawling under the covers, her soft snores assaulting the sheriff's ears. The lawbringer folded her arms over her chest after she rolled to her back. Well, that was not the wake-up call she was expecting. Of all the people to rescue her... Part of her wondered what the hell Athena was up to that she couldn't come and bail out her old... Were they even friends anymore? Oh. Right, the whole thing with Jack... So she was stuck with the back-stabbing buccaneer. Fun.

  
Nisha awoke to find an arm around her waist and the captain snoring in her ear. To make matters worse, she only had a tiny corner of the mattress to herself. It took a bit of effort to pry to dozing pirate's arm off of her and even longer for her to find her feet. Ultimately, she ended up stumbling head on into an ammo crate. Apparently, the ship was still moving and walking with only one eye was... more difficult than she had expected.

  
"The hell is with the racket?" Scarlett barely formed the words, slowly sitting up and blinking.

  
A few more blinks and she realized that she wasn't alone in her quarters.

  
"What exactly do you think you're doing, Nisha?"

  
"Trying to walk. How do you manage with just one eye?"

  
"Years of practice. And damn good balance. Uh, do you need a hand? I'm not sure how you got yourself wedged over there."

  
"I swear, if you make one more goddamn pun, I'm going to put a bullet in your skull myself."

  
"I'm not too worried. You can barely walk." She lifted an eyebrow smirking to herself as she slid her prosthetic leg on.

  
"Fuck off, stumpy."

  
"That... was a little low, Nisha. But a good one. I take it you're not a morning person?"

  
There was a growl coming from the small space Nisha had gotten wedged into. The lawbringer was struggling to free herself after the ship had turned once again. For such a massive sandskiff, the Bacchanal had a good turning speed.

  
"I could have sworn I told Shipper to cast the anchor by now. Great, another crewman I have to kill. Unless you'd like to do the honors, Nisha."

  
Nisha glared up at her companion, trying to push off of the wall, but her hands kept slipping against the faux wood paneling. Scarlett took the nautical theme a little too far... What next, seashells and sand littered everywhere? A quick scan of the room with her good eye told her, that... yes, the theme had gone just a little too far. The redhead seemed to notice as she ambled up to the other woman, grinning cheerily.

  
"What do you think? Bloody brilliant, isn't it? I spent hours trying to find the right look."

  
"Just... help me up. This is embarrassing as all hell."

  
"That is a pretty hilarious position. Almost looks like you're sitting on the chest. I'd give you points for originality, but you lose some for a lack of finesse."

  
The lawbringer's scowl would have terrified even the bravest of bandits, but Scarlett was completely unfazed, her grin seemed to have grown as she surveyed her so-called friend. She reached out with her flesh and blood hand, seizing Nisha's upper arm and started to pull her up. Nisha's bare feet started slipping on the wood floor until at last she was upright, only to end up falling into the pirate's arms.

  
"Well, this is rather pleasant, don't you think?"

  
"I am so killing you one day."

  
"That's disappointing. I help you and you threaten to kill me several times. I could make a pirate out of you yet."

  
The sheriff glared up at Scarlett and then down at the baggy clothes covering her.

  
"You can let go now."

  
"Oh, right. We need to get you some better clothes..."

  
"What happened to my leathers?"

  
"Gone. Couldn't get all the blood out of them. And too recognizable. You're dead, remember? But don't worry! I know just the place we can raid. We could make a day of it."

  
Nisha was about to roll her eyes when she remembered the excruciating pain that would hit the instant she did.

  
"About that eye..."

  
"You, my friend, will be hooked up. Erm, pun not intended."

  
Under her breath the sheriff murmured 'you better not have'. Using the butt of her palm, she shoved the pirate away, tottering clumsily on her feet until she got to the nearest dresser, which seemed to have been the only piece of furniture that didn't shift over night.

  
Scarlett watched her companion for a moment or two and then decided it was high time she got prepared for the day. A captain had to look presentable. Even it it was solely for shooting an idiot in the back.  
Nisha managed to tug the blue and white striped shirt up to her shoulder to peer at the blood stained bandage wrapped partially around her chest. It was no wonder the fingers of her left hand were mostly useless at the moment. A few more instant health hypos, maybe a real doctor, not Zed, and she figured she'd be back up to shoot assholes in the face. She dreaded looking up at her face. Thick bandages wrapped around her head, covering almost the entire right side of her face. A few faint scars trailed below the wrappings, brushing her jaw. Apparently the Vault Hunter who shot her in the face had pretty good aim.

  
"You're pretty luck to be alive, if I do say so myself. They must have used a Torgue, or something that doesn't fire very quickly. Or else your shield did a knock up job of protecting you. I can't really say, I was too busy trying to figure out if my personal teleporter could transport two people. Got it from an ex-Atlas assassin a while back... Wonder what happened to her."

  
"Any word from Jack?"

  
"Well, you're supposed to be dead, so no. And, well... I'd rather not tell you, but this honesty streak of mine won't let me avoid this, but... Jack's dead."

  
"Dead? You're shitting me."

  
"I'm afraid not. Those Vault Hunters were real badasses. They took out Sandman and his men like they were nothing!"

  
"You couldn't take care of Sandman because you betrayed him too soon, that's your own fault."

  
"In my defense, they also killed Roscoe and the Leviathan."

  
Nisha's eye never left the mirror as she spoke with Scarlett. The pirate was much more concerned with getting her cross-belts in place over her breeches.

  
"I thought Leviathan ate Roscoe."

  
"Oh, he did, but I also got eaten and there was Roscoe, alive and well. Don't ask me how he was, but he was. Then the Vault Hunters killed him. And stole my favourite pistol."

  
Really, could that woman be cheerful over anything? God, even Springs could be more down-to-- erm, Pandora. At last the lawbringer made herself turn away from the mirror to face her companion. She leaned heavily on the dresser, crossing her arms.

  
"So, that's it? Jack is dead? Well, shit. This day has gotten worse."

  
"No, now it is. Jack is dead, the Vault Hunters, including Brick, have started a hunt to find anyone associated with the late head of Hyperion. But! Luckily for you, your best friend in the whole of Pandora, which is me, by the way, has got cover for you. I just haven't found a good name for you yet. You might have to drop saying ya'll and howdy, though. You'd stick out like a sore thumb."

  
Nisha lifted an eyebrow and then released her breath in a long sigh.

  
"Mukti."

  
"Beg your pardon?"

  
"Call me Mukti."

  
"Mukti the scourge of the sands? Sounds a little funny, but, I guess if that's what you want, then I won't argue with you. What's it mean anyway?"

  
Nisha shook her head, smirking to herself.

  
"I'll tell you at another time. After we get me set up to become a pirate."

  
Scarlett pulled on her hat, adjusting its sit until she was content and beamed at Nisha.

  
"I knew you'd come around eventually, love. Now let's see about making a pirate out of you. I'll let you shove Shipper off the plank."

  
"Shipper? Is that seriously his name?"

  
The ex-sheriff pushed away from her perch, expecting herself to face plant, but to her surprise, the ship had stopped moving. Scarlett slipped an arm around hers, grinning as she started leading her companion to the deck.

  
"It is. I can't stand him in the least. One little blink at someone and he thinks that you're romantically involved with someone. It gets old."

  
"Was he always a pirate?"

  
"I think he was an Echonet blogger or something. Crazy type. Not as bad as Herbert, but... You can kill him if you'd like."

  
"We'll see. Maybe for once I don't feel like murdering some jackass."

  
"Are you sure you should be out of bed, then? Don't want you keeling over and falling overboard."

  
Scarlett twisted her arm into an awkward position to press her wrist to the ex-sheriff's forehead, her forearm bumping the other woman's nose.

  
"I'm fine, Scarlett."

  
"Wait 'till you meet Shipper. You'll want to shoot him. Oh! I wonder if he'll... erm, ship us."

  
Nisha fixed her friend with as menacing a glare as she could muster, but nothing seemed to fluster the pirate. Maybe she would kill the nuisance. Just for the sake of killing someone that wasn't Scarlett.

  
As it happened, Shipper ended up being an Anchorman. Biggest fucking brute Nisha had seen, at least since her last encounter with Brick. Between the pain in her shoulder and her limited vision, she managed to kill him with two clips of a borrowed pistol; it was satisfying after he gushed about how cute she and Scarlett were. Maybe being a pirate wouldn't be that bad after all. Even if it meant dealing with the redhead all the damn time...


	2. New-U

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning: it gets a bit gory. Think Tales from the Borderlands and what happened to General Pollux.

The sands of Wurmwater shifted under the sand skiff's jets. For miles around, they were the only visible vehicle and the only sound was of the boosters. Nisha rotated the gunner seat, idly eyeing her surroundings. Scarlett was completely at ease behind the wheel, her gaze focused on the stretch of reddish sand before her. The gunslinger launched a harpoon, spearing a sand worm before exploding it in a cloud of green blood. Nisha snorted as the creature evaporated. At least killing things was still interesting. Her shoulder throbbed from twisting to watch the spatter of blood on the sand.

"Are you sure you're alright, Nisha? We could have put this off..."

"Too late. Let's just get this over with."

"You haven't been the same since, you know, Jack..."

"Don't mention that name around me, Scarlett. He and I knew what we were getting into. The fact that he's dead and I'm not is proof enough that I made the right choice."

Scarlett lifted her hook away from the wheel in assent, shrugging her shoulders.

"Alright, alright. I was just checking, is all." She rolled her good eye, making a face at the dried out sea before her; she was very glad Nisha couldn't see her face.

"So where the hell are we going?"

"A little town called Oasis."

"And what about it?" The ex-sheriff rolled her wrist in a gesture completely lost on the pirate.

"Well, it's abandoned now. Used to be home to a weird little man named Shade. But don't worry, he's gone; he moved to Prosperity Junction. Bloody good riddance... Our contact will be waiting for us there and after that we'll raid a few of the old boutiques and get you all set for the pirate's life. Exciting, huh?"

Nisha desperately wanted to roll her eyes, but the pain was definitely not worth the effort, especially since Scarlett couldn't see the look on her face. She contented herself by shooting another sand worm with an explosive harpoon. That probably wasn't going to grow old any time soon. 

"How close are we?"

Scarlett curled her lips in a slight pout and shot a look at her companion.

"If you would look up from your killing spree, you'd see it."

"Looks like a tourist trap."

"It was."

"Is it clear of enemies?"

"Unless dust bunnies count, yes." 

The lawbringer grunted softly as a response, leaning back just slightly in her seat. It was time to bid her eye a fond farewell. The redhead eased the sandskiff into the covered dock housing the Catch-a-Ride station, she switched off the controls and the skiff dropped to the ground with a soft thump.

"All ashore that's going ashore!"

"Do you really have to do the pirate thing all the time?"

Scarlett offered a finger to her companion as she quirked an eyebrow.

"Come on, we can't keep the good doctor waiting. He's a busy man and he costs an ar-- I am not going to say it."

Nisha snorted as she hopped out of the gunner seat. She clapped the pirate on the shoulder before gesturing for her to lead the way.

"So, why are we getting my eye done first?"

"You don't want blood all over your new duds, do you?"

A small noise of disgust escaped the lawbringer's throat. "You have a point."

It was fairly unnerving to walk through a dead town alongside a silent Scarlett. Normally it would take divine intervention to get the buccaneer to shut up for more than five minutes. She wasn't even quiet in her sleep. Nisha's grip tightened on her borrowed SMG; she wasn't about to let her guard down around the notorious backstabber even after being given her word. After a few minutes of wandering trash-strewn streets, they reached a small building with a metal door. The redhead rapped her fist on the portal, casting a gaze over at the shorter woman. Their height gap was small, maybe an inch or two at max. It was a little too amusing to see the so-called fearless bandit slayer nervous. The door swung open and a man's voice, thick with a southern drawl beckoned them inside.

"Hurry up now, Ah don't got all day."

Nisha's brows furrowed and she groaned; she'd recognize Zed's voice anywhere. Sure enough, the man who awaited them inside the makeshift clinic was a dead ringer for the doctor, except for the fact that his name tag read 'Ed'. Well, that was something for the bucket list. Back alley surgery with black market cybernetics. Wilhelm would have loved it; the poor bastard. Scarlett gestured to a chair in the center of the room and the gunslinger sighed as she sauntered up to it, leaving her SMG with Scarlett. Almost immediately after she sat down "Ed" moved in and started setting up clamps to hold her eye open for the extraction. He cut off her bandages and tossed them to the floor, peeling back what remained of her eyelid. 

"They got ya real good. But ya got most of your eyelid. Ah got ya a Hyperion Echoeye. Works better'n a real eye and easier to get yer hands on in the black market."

The pirate blew a puff of air out of her nose; they didn't have such fancy cybernetics when she lost her eye... She offered a slight reassuring smile at her friend before turning her back to the small slot in the door. There was never a guarantee that rival pirate gangs would stay away. Her palm rested alongside her pistol, ready to draw in case she had to duck out the door and start drawing fire from the clinic. 

The medic hooked up the clamps after wiping them down with a sterilizing wipe; something unusual for Zed, but Nisha wasn't about to knock it. Though she did want to protest when she saw the metal spork he pulled out of his scrub pocket. He wiped it with another sterilizing wipe and she could see the grin forming under his surgical mask. She tried to draw back, only to find herself secured in place.

"I could have sworn you liked pain, Nisha."

"He's going to shove a fucking spork in my eye socket!"

Scarlett shrugged. "Could be worse. You should have seen how my eye went."

Ed closed in and the screams of pain began not long later. Maybe somewhere in the cries was a mixture of sadomasochistic glee, but it was hard to tell. 

_Kind of like scrapping the guts out of a-- Oh I should not have thought that._ The redhead choked at her thought, feeling a rare bout of queasiness hitting her. It worsened when she heard a goopy plop on the ground.

She retched and Nisha stared laughing. It was a high, hysterical laugh as tears streamed from her good eye and blood ran from her empty eye socket. She continued laughing as the medic hooked her optic nerve to the connector for her new eye. Her breathing came in wheezes as her prosthetic was popped into her socket. The vision in her new eye was tinted red at first and then after a few blinks, she saw the world clearly. A small whirring noise accompanied her eye zooming in to focus on the horrified look on Scarlett's face. It automatically adjusted back to resemble a normal-sized pupil. The back alley surgeon wiped the blood from her face with a cloth before he tossed her an antiseptic wipe.

"Yer all set. Should be good for life. Here's a manual ah managed to snag. Iff'n you need somethin' like it. You'll need this too." He tossed Nisha a healing hypo with a quick wink.

"And Ah'm outta here, Scarlett. Ya know how to find me."

The pirate's face was still a little lighter than usual, but she nodded and tossed him a small sack that rattled with coins. The lawbringer slammed the hypo into her arm and sighed, sinking back into the old dentist's chair as the medicine kicked in. Once the metal door slammed shut Scarlett crossed to her companion and snagged the medicated wipe from her hand. She quietly tore into the packet and wiped at the ex-sheriff's face with surprising tenderness. 

"I wuz gonna do that." 

"Seems like you got the special hypo. I'll give you a bit to rest up and then we have to get you suited up."

"Why're you doin' this?"

"Doing what?"

"Bein' so nice." Her words slurred and added to her accent, making the buccaneer smile. 

"I have my reasons. What kind of person leaves her bestie to die? I'm an honorable backstabber, remember? Honestly, it's like you don't know me."

"Guess you ain't too bad after all."

"I tried to tell you that, but you wouldn't listen."

Nisha shrugged, her shoulders sluggishly crawling up. Her breathing slowed and her eyelids slid shut despite her best efforts. Ed's infamous double dose. Kills the pain, knocks you flat on your ass, and then you feel like you're able to take on an army. After a nap. If you woke up. Judging by the fact that she was still breathing, Scarlett was certain her companion would survive. She kicked over an old oil barrel and lowered herself to sit down, her back to the dozing sheriff. She held the SMG between her legs, just out of reach of her friend. Just in case Nisha was faking it. After a short while the redhead began humming tunelessly to pass the time, aimlessly flicking through pages of Echo stories. 

An hour later she heard a soft groan coming from behind her. The groan got a little louder and then was followed by a yawn. 

"Ah, shit. What the fuck hit me?"

"One of Ed's special hypos. Part Atlas pain killer, part Anshin booster. Nasty little thing. Most who take it wind up dead. But hey, you're alive! Feeling any better?"

The lawbringer's mouth hung open in horror for a moment or two. Scarlett turned on her makeshift seat and grinned, flashing pearly white teeth in the dim light of the clinic. She rose to her feet, shoving the barrel out of the way with her prosthetic leg.

"Oh, would you look at that. It matches your normal eye. Neat. Shall we? I don't want to leave the Bacchanal with the boys too long. I don't want another mutiny."

"Yeah, sure, fine." As Nisha stood, her feet wobbled and she stumbled back into the chair.

"Whoa. That is some good shit."

"He'll only give you it once. I've tried, believe me. Now, let's go." 

Scarlett extended her hooked arm and the gunslinger tried to refuse. She stood again, this time falling face-first into Scarlett. The pirate drummed her fingers on Nisha's spine with a smug grin lighting up her face. The gold eyed woman glared at her but the redhead wasn't remotely phased as usual. After a few deep breaths Nisha shoved her companion away and tottered unsteadily toward the door. Scarlett followed closely behind, ready to catch her should she fall, but Nisha made it to the door without incident. The buccaneer was having far too much fun watching her friend stumble all over the place.  
Nisha stepped back from the cracked mirror adorning the wall of the boutique and examined her reflection. Slim-fit khaki breeches clung to her legs, her calves hidden by thick-soled knee-high leather boots. Her shirt reminded her of one she had seen on a pirate in an Echo movie she had watched as a kid, except his shirt was white where hers was purple. She finished buttoning up her brown leather vest and smirked at her reflection. Scarlett tossed a bandanna her way and she snatched it up in midair. Her shoulder protested at the jerky motion, but she ignored it and tied the purple cloth over her head. She had staunchly refused to let the pirate pierce her ears; she took care of that herself the instant the redhead's back was turned. 

She cast a quick glance at her new eye and the web of scars surrounding it. The scar stretched down to just below her cheekbone and stopped just shy of the bridge of her nose. She had seen worse. She spotted Scarlett in the mirror and silently watched as her companion crossed over to her. A cloth of deep scarlet was wrapped around her throat and she instinctively reached up to snatch it away from her windpipe. Oh sure, she enjoyed being strangled, but the last thing she wanted was to die so lamely. Scarlett smacked her hand and tied off the scrap of fabric in a makeshift collar.

"What's this for?"

"To show that you're mine." The bucanner's voice had a weird edge to it, soft but laced with a low purr. It sent the hairs on the back of Nisha's neck into a stand.

"What?"

"To show you're part of my crew. You gotta wear the colors, Nisha. And I couldn't exactly find a replacement for your old collar."

The lawbringer glanced up at her reflection and to her embarrassment noticed that her pupils had dilated, including the cybernetic one. That was a first. 

_Huh. Didn't think I was into chicks. Must've been a while since I got some, that's all._

Scarlett smirked and gestured to the door.

"I do believe we are all set. We'll get your weapons from an old stash of mine at a later date. Can't leave the ship alone too long."

Nisha stole one last look at herself and grinned. What the hell, it could be fun. 

Later that night, Scarlett dozed, hogging a good chunk of the bed and snoring all the while. The ex-sheriff rolled her eyes and scanned the cabin. The hammock she requested had yet to be installed. With a sigh she tugged off her vest and boots and tossed them aside. She'd just have to make do. If Scarlett got too handsy, she'd simply teach her a lesson. Starting with her pinky. If she had the strength in her arm, she would have considered smothering the pirate, but she realized that she had slightly more honor than that. If she was going to kill Scarlett, it'd be face-to-face. With her own damn pistol. Nisha tugged on a spare shirt and got into the bed with a grin. That was a thought she could live with.


	3. Shifting Tides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is a play on "Rising Tides" and "Shifting Sands". You know, 'cause dried out sea?   
> And I apologize for the creation of the name Aft Hole. I'm so sorry. (No I'm not)

Nisha was quick to realize that like most of Pandora, the villages that populated the sands of Wurmwater and its surrounding regions were rundown, pieces of shit. This time with a decidedly nautical flair. Remnants of barnacles clung to surfaces that had not seen water for ages. Wood was aged to the point where it would turn into powder at a solid impact. The tin roofing was rusted to all hell and the few places where stucco remained were littered with cracks. Not to mention that the first village she had encountered was crawling with pirates from a rival crew. Bullets and sand flew throughout the skirmish. Her pistol remained in its holster at her hip while she favored a Jakob's shotgun, blasting her enemies down into puddles of gore, laughing the entire way. 

There was a raised path to her left and with a little dodging she made her way to a ladder, scurrying up the rusty metal rungs to find the next group of pirates waiting for her. A corsair charged the instant she was level with the old wood walkway. She ducked under his scything scimitars to unload a round through his chest, blood spattering over her cheekbones. Uneven footfalls followed close behind her.

"Mukti, duck!"

Nisha dropped to her knees just in time to hear a thunderous shot. She watched in amusement as an anchorman's head flew in the opposite direction of his body. His anchor dropped to the walkway with a heavy thud mere inches from where the gunslinger stood. Part of the ancient boards crumbled away, making her take a quick step back. Her echo eye fed in a string of measurements and she took a chance, leaping over the small space without bothering to gather speed. She left her companion behind in the dust motes that flew up from the deteriorating wood, laughing as she fired shots at wayward pirates. 

"I haven't felt this good since mom died!"

Somewhere, a few yards behind her she heard Scarlett curse and scramble to catch up to her. It was her idea to raid the bandit camp since echo reports had come in of a treasure lying in wait for someone brave enough to stamp out the menace of Aft Hole and his crew. The ex-sheriff couldn't deny the fact that she snickered at his name. It was almost as bad as Poopdeck back on Elpis. 

"Really, do you want to take on this baddie on all your own? After nearly getting clobbered?"

Nisha slowed her sprint, lowering her gun after she realized there were no other pirates around. Eventually she stopped, turning back to face the captain. Scarlett rolled her eye, hefting her heavy pistol, sauntering casually ahead of her companion. When the pirate's back was to her the brunette lifted her middle finger, shutting both of her eyes. 

"Awfully quiet up here."

"Have you seen your body count? That was most of his crew, save for whatever he's going to drag in with him to attempt to kill us."

At the end of the walkway was a ledge of rock occupied by a large, spherical structure. Its tin roof wasn't nearly as dilapidated as the rest of the village and the walls were clearly reinforced. A large skull and bones was clumsily graffiti-ed beside a heavy steel door. Nisha had to fight back her urge to laugh at the poorly spelled warning signs that littered the ground outside the hut. As though on cue, the door slammed into the wall with a loud bang and a man rivalling Brick in size somehow managed to squeeze his way out of the opening. The women exchanged glances, nodding silently at each other until Scarlett placed her flesh and blood hand on her companion's back and shoved her forward.

"You did say you wanted to take him on. Have at it, then!"

"What?! You bitch!"

The redhead retreated a short distance away, flicking her wrist in a half-assed little wave. Aft Hole raised a massive harpoon in one of his hands and then hefted a mine the size of a skag in his other. Nisha scarcely had time to utter the words oh shit before he threw his first mine. She barely managed to roll out of the way of the explosion, feeling the heat singing her hair and skin. She didn't pause to catch her breath and smoothly rose and fired off a few rounds with her shotgun, taking care to aim for his mine cache. One round grazed the metal container with a ping of metal on metal. She ducked as a harpoon lanced at her, nearly taking her right ear with it. 

From somewhere in the back of her mind, she found herself remembering a conversation she once had with Athena on tactics. The ex-lancer had emphasized using the opponent's obvious weaknesses against it, particularly on the bigger guys. With a grin, the gold eyed woman started charging at Aft Hole. He swung a harpoon out at her. She was expecting him to swing it in only one direction, but to her surprise he seemed to figure her plan out. The metal pole smacked into the side of her head. She fell hard to the stone ground, but managed to pick herself back up before he could drop a mine on her. Her shotgun was raised once more at the junction of his harpoon throwing elbow. A round bit into the flesh and the new harpoon he digistructed fell to the ground with a clatter. 

An inhuman roar escaped the mountain of a man as he started to charge at her. He was obviously not built for speed, but for sheer, raw power. Nisha stood her ground, feet braced shoulder-width apart. She tossed her shotgun to the ground and drew her pistol. It had been a long time since she attempted a showdown, a proper showdown. A copy of her gun digistructed in her left hand and she grinned, raising both guns until she was sighted on Aft Hole's head.

"Eat lead, shit face."

She filled him with a full clip of ammo from each gun. It was overkill, but she was sure that anyone who willingly called himself Aft Hole could use all the rounds she could spare. That and it was highly satisfying to hear the crunch of his bones and watch gray matter fly over the rocks. The copy of her gun disappeared the instant she released her grip. She spun the real one over a finger by the trigger guard before sliding it back into its holster. It wasn't pirate-y, but Scarlett could kiss her ass. Footsteps approached from the catwalk. The uneven clump of the footfalls told her it was the backstabber in question. Nisha spun on the ball of her foot, hand resting alongside the grip of her pistol, ready to draw. 

"Well, aren't you edgy?"

"You shoved me at him and bolted. You think I'm just gonna stand by and let you stab me in the back?"

The redhead grinned, flashing white teeth. 

"You seemed eager to kill him, so I figured I'd let you have the fun. And look at that, you lived! Brilliant bit of dodging there."

Scarlett drew closer, hands held up to show that she wasn't going to go for her gun. The gunslinger felt her trigger finger twitch. It took an effort of will to force her hand away from the holster. Her eyes darted to her shotgun, only a few feet away. The pirate closed the gap between them and her flesh hand reached out to her companion's cheek. Nisha flinched away, gritting her teeth in sudden embarrassment. 

"That is one nasty mark, he got you good. Here, take this. Consider it an act of goodwill." The redhead dug in her pack and drew out a single healing hypo.

"If you fucking stab me in the back, you're going down with me."

"I am well aware of that."

The brunette jammed the hypo into her thigh and depressed the lever. A flood of adrenaline surged through her. She took a moment to catch her breath and tossed the empty hypodermic aside.

"Treasure should be in there." She jerked her thumb toward the building.

"Generally, x marks the spot, but it seems in this case, a badly drawn crossbone."

The ex-sheriff hefted her shot gun, shrugging one shoulder lazily as she started crossing to the now empty hut. She grunted in reply, not particularly feeling up to conversation.

"You stand guard at the doorway, shoot anyone that comes in and then I'll let you have your pick of the goods inside."

Nisha snorted and leaned against the door frame, taking care not to touch a patch of gooey gray matter that oozed on the steel. Six shots was all it took to wipe out the remaining members of Aft Hole's crew. And that wasn't counting for the barrel monkey that blew up the rest of his crewmates along with himself. A single shot resounded inside of the building and the gunslinger ducked inside to see Scarlett scowling at the corpse of a cabin boy.

"Looks like you finally pulled your own trigger. 'Bout time you shot someone on your own."

Scarlett scoffed and kicked the body aside none-too-gently. She paused before dramatically spreading her arms with a wide grin.

"And this is what your hard work earned for us."

"A bunch of boxes, great."

"Really?"

"Get looting before a fresh wave of assholes decide to avenge their fallen asshole leader." 

The pirate pointed her toward a metal chest bedecked with a skull and crossbones.

"Weapons should be in there. Take your pick. Me, I'm after the real booty. Money, seraph crystals. Unless there are purples in there. Those I like."

Nisha crouched in front of the long chest, poking at one of the skull's eye sockets until at last the bones spun counterclockwise. The chest opened and she took her time examining the contents. A shotgun, a pistol, and an SMG awaited her. They bore the old logo of the S & S corporation. The redhead craned her neck from the stacks of old coins she was hoarding and whistled softly.

"Jackpot. Those aren't as valuable as Atlas, but... they will fetch a good price on the black market if they aren't up to snuff."

"I'll hold on to 'em. Never know when you might need them. Find anything good over there?"

Scarlett held up a pink crystal that glowed softly in the light from outside. Her grin could not possibly have gotten any larger if she tried.

"This is a seraph crystal. They're rarer than rare. Normally you have to kill some major badass for one of them... But seems our friends here found a stash. I guess I won't kill you any time soon. You're a good luck charm."

Silver eyes met gold, glistening like the untold treasure of the sands. Nisha scoffed softly and broke eye contact first, shifting awkwardly on her feet. That was going to be a problem. A big one. And she wasn't even remotely ready to consider the reason why her heart was hammering against her rib cage. She'd be happier if they were attempting to stab each other in the back. Much, much happier.


	4. Conflict of Interests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally figured out how long this story is going to be. 9 story chapters and one bonus comedy chapter because I can't stay serious for long.  
> I'll be reviewing the chapters for continuity errors and fixing them up soon.  
> Unfortunately, this is a filler chapter until I can move forward with the plot.

Hot, dry wind whipped through Nisha's inky locks. There was the the slightest salty tang to the air, a distant memory of the sea that had once been. Her index and middle fingers rested alongside her echoeye, using a hidden manual override that allowed her to track the waypoint beacon. It was much less embarrassing than shouting 'enhance' all the time.

"Are we getting near, Mukti?" 

Scarlett had easily adapted to using Nisha's psuedonym on missions, but she staunchly refused to use the name onboard the Bacchanal. Anyone who repeated the ex-sheriff's real name would face the wrath of her pistol. 

"Couple of clicks off to starboard. We should be closing in soon."

The skiff veered sharply to the right, spraying sand as it turned. Nisha had to reach up and grab the gun barrel to keep herself from toppling overboard. One look back at the pirate told her there was a maniacal gleam to her one good eye. Nisha shook her head, returning her focus to the glowing waypoint. The little dot had shifted and she lifted a hand to indicate their target's new direction. Another sharp turn later, an armored sand skiff loomed into view.

The former sheriff dropped her hand from her face and took up the controls of the gunner seat, letting her cybernetics line up the shot for her. She let loose a rocket, blasting out the rear thrusters of the target skiff. Scarlett spun the controls, redirecting them as bullets rained onto their vehicle. Nisha readied her next shot, keeping one hand close to the machine gun controls as a precaution. The second shot successfully crippled the ship and the meager two man crew bailed, only to fall prey to sand worms.

The gunslinger lazily fired rounds at the pests, smirking whenever one would explode into a cloud of ichor. Once the path was clear of worms, Scarlett eased them in next to the skiff. She idled their ride, cocking her chin at her companion. With a practiced jump, Nisha cleared the gunner seat and crossed to the downed vehicle. It rocked a little under her boots, but she didn't stumble. 

Her raid of the compartments found her a few wads of cash (barely enough for a few med hypos), two low-level pistols, and a single seraph crystal. She rolled her eyes and stashed her goods, turning her focus on the real reason they had gone after the skiff. The wood barrel was half her height and was emblazoned with a red triple x logo. There was only one person on all of Pandora who held the claims to said brand. A barrel of Moxxi's finest rum was not something easy to come by, especially not in the wastes of Wurmwater. The proprietor almost never dealt in anything other than ale or whiskey, making this particular haul a lucky find.

Nisha knelt alongside the loot and dug a dagger out of her boot holster. The rope securing the goods was quickly disposed of as Scarlett threw over the gangplank. Before long the barrel was on the skiff and the pair were on their way back to the Bacchanal, no worse for the wear.

"I think you're adjusting the the pirate's life quite well. The boys will be thrilled with your find."

"Maybe they'll shut up for once."

Her gold eyes wandered the horizon, fingers idly toying with the machine gun controls. She fired a single explosive round into the remnants of a ship and it errupted into a cloud of flame and dust. She grinned at the destruction.

"Once we have this offloaded, come to my-- erm, our quarters. I have a little something for you."

Nisha hit the seat rotation control and shot a question glance at her captain once she was in view. The redhead didn't meet her gaze. The gunslinger rotated her seat until she was facing forward once again; she had decided that she didn't want to know. A few minutes of awkward silence later, they spied the Bacchanal. The skiff was finally starting to feel like home for Nisha. She was almost looking forward to being back on board. Almost. 

The captain had dissappeared while Nisha and a few members of the crew offloaded their haul. In a few hours of being off the ship the pair had managed to scavenge two barrels of Moxxi's premium and several small weapons caches. Anything beat paying Marcus' exorbitant fees.

"Scarlett says have at. Don't damage the ship or I will shoot you assholes. Got it?"

Content that her threat was received, Nisha ambled to the lift, leaning against the controls as she rose to the fore-deck. From there she would have to climb a single ladder to the ship's aft and her shared quarters. She still laughed any time she heard the words 'aft' and 'poopdeck'. At least climbing ladders became an easy task. By the end of her first month, she could scurry up ladders and fire rounds simultaneously. She wondered what she would be capable of after a year aboard the ship.

Nisha hesitated when she reached the table and chairs situated outside of her shared quarters. Her palm slid to her holster as her other palm closed around the door handle. She twisted the knob and pushed, expecting gunfire when she opened the door. Her pistol was half way out of her holster when she spotted Scarlett's back. Her bare back. The gun dropped to the floor with a thump and the pirate turned to her, grinning.

Her usual hook had been swapped out for what looked like a custom arm, the digits on her hand were as long and tapered as the ones on her flesh and blood hand. Its metal surface gleamed under the dim light of the cabin. To her own dismay, Nisha felt her eyes travel over the woman before her, her echoeye giving her a much unneeded status report.

"Fancy what you see, Nisha?"

With a strangled cry, Nisha flailed desperately at the canvas surrounding her. The hammock lurched sickeningly to one side and deposited her on the hard floor of the Bacchanal. She swore loudly as she tried to orient herself, her heart hammering in her throat. 

"Are you alright over there, Nisha?" The words were half-slurred from sleep but the former sheriff could comprehend them.

"Had one hell of a nightmare. Go back to sleep." Her voice came out thicker than she expected and she swallowed heavily, hoping Scarlett didn't catch it.

"My bed is always open, Nisha."

With that, the redhead settled back into her bed and started snoring once more. Nisha flipped her the bird as she attempted to find her feet. 

_Can't get a break from you even when I'm dreaming. Get ahold of yourself, Nisha. You just need to find a quiet place and time to..._

She snorted out loud at the thought. It was obvious to her she was getting in over her head. She had a very bad feeling that things were only going to get worse as time went on.


	5. Drawing the Line in the Sand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out way less filler-y than I expected. And longer to boot. Shippy things will start happening very soon.  
> Oh, and I am not sorry for referencing a certain... song.

The Bacchanal was deathly still, nary a sand pirate stirred as Nisha prowled the corridors. The liquor stash she and Scarlett raided the day before had done its job. The ex-lawbringer casually strolled past a snoring pirate who was supposed to be monitoring the Catch-a-Ride system. She booted the device, flicking through options until she digistructed an explosive harpoon skiff. In a flash of bluish light, the vehicle appeared; Nisha wasn't entirely sure how the process worked. She bet that Scooter didn't either. 

She eased herself onto the barely existant driver's seat, only to realize that she had no idea how to operate the skiff. It took a massive effort of will to keep herself from screaming at the hovercraft. A few deep breaths later, she looked over the controls again. She nudged a lever, only for the skiff to start lowering to the ground. She barely managed to reengage the hover jets before it smashed onto the steel deck of the Bacchanal. The jets quietly hissed as her foot explored the floor; she didn't even notice that the vehicle was beginning to slowly drift toward the sand. Her exploration turned up two pedals. One that she couldn't engage-- she figured that was the boost. Her booted foot finally landed on a sliver of metal, causing the skiff to lurch more quickly to the sand. The steering wheel looked... normal enough; it wasn't even a true wheel. The hovercraft slid away from the ship in the grey predawn light; even if her escape from Scarlett was brief, it was a welcome one.

Nisha engaged the boost and sped away from the Bacchanal, guiding her ride to a nearby trench. A few luckless sand worms were mowed down by the hull. She snickered with each splat. Halfway down the remnant of the bygone sea, she found a narrow crevice and eased her hovercraft into it. It took her a few long and terribly frustrating minutes for her to figure out that her ride didn't have an idle control or a proper braking system. Giving up, she hopped out of the skiff and watched as it powered down. Nisha lifted both hands with a click of her tongue. Stupid tech. A few steps away from the skiff she pulled up a map of the area on her Echo, attempting to plan a route even though she knew she was absolutely horrible at directions.

"Never did get the hang of this direction thing..." She mumbled as she marked a waypoint on the map. 

The Washburne Refinery. She had heard the crew muttering amongst themselves about a badass. Not just any badass, but an invincible one. That had brought a grin to her face, but when she brought it up with Scarlett, the pirate rolled her eye, shaking her head.

_"Really, it'd be quite stupid to go after him. He's not called invincible for his health. Why go yourself when maybe a Vault Hunter will go and get killed for you?"_

Nisha chewed on her bottom lip, hesitating for just a moment before she turned back to the stolen skiff. She lifted a shoulder in a shrug; he couldn't be that tough. Within five minutes of pulling out of her trench, she ended up having to consult her echo's map. 

Along her route, she managed to get lost all of three times, murdered at least two dozen sand worms, and took out three other skiffs. Not too bad considering the day was only just starting. Eventually she found her destination if solely for a battered landmark. Weathered steel beams stood out against the sand and stone. The scaffolding held an old piece of heavy machinery that she couldn't identify. The skiff sunk to the sand with a thump as she leapt out of her seat. The camp that awaited her was small. Three metal shacks that had seen better days and looked as though they were cobbled together from the hulls of small boats or possibly submarines. But it had its own Catch-a-Ride. Impressive for a hovel. 

And then there came the pirates. They were few in number and she wasn't even remotely amused by their deaths. A few headshots and a well-placed bullet to the barrel on the back of a powder monkey and her enemy problem was solved. Nisha scoffed as she holstered her pistol. Her gaze travelled over the camp once more and she found herself drawn to the ancient lockers lining the walls. She managed to scavenge some ammo and a wad of cash (a meager fifty dollars). The lawbringer brought her attention back to a part of the camp she didn't splatter with blood. Her boots thumped over the worn wood and a few boards gave after she crossed them. She adjusted the strap holding her shotgun to her back as she glanced back at the destruction she had sown; she had done worse.

Then she spotted the lift. Or more accurately, stumbled onto it. Her footfalls had gone from thumps to a much more metallic sound. Before throwing the lever, she decided to take a moment to activate her echo eye and get a reading on the place. The Washburne Refinery looked as though it was the remnants of an oil rig. Which was probably accurate seeing what she had of the rest of the region. She could practically smell Hyperion on the place. Her echo eye reached the same conclusion. With another click of her tongue, she kicked the lever and readied her gun. As soon as the lift clicked into place she got a whiff of eridium and heard the clunking gait of a loaderbot. She threw herself in a corner made by a pair of corrugated metal walls and a (rather pointless) security fence.

"Enemy detected." A mechanic voice declared when she peeked around the corner.

"Shit, I hate these things. Of course Jack loved them..."

She shut her eyes and blasted air through her nose, darting out of the corner to mow down the bot blocking her way. There was only one. She had blown off both of its legs and one arm. The remaining arm twitched spasmodically as though it was on a human. She kicked the downed robot for good measure and ambled up to the refinery's entrance. This would be a cakewalk. As soon as the metal doors creaked open she came to the horrified realization that it would be the worst kind of cakewalk. The one that came without her shooting the shit out of anything that got in her way. Loaderbot chassis littered the ground, oil giving the metal floor a slick coating whereever it wasn't grated. Nisha curled her lip, clutching her gun a little more tightly as she surveyed the first room. 

A glob of corrosive acid dripped down onto the ground from where it ate through a guard rail. There were fresh bullet holes in the steel walls and a few on the ceiling. The ex-lawbringer stepped toward an ammo crate to find it riddled with holes as well. That was not something she was expecting. She picked up her pace, quickly leaving behind the first open room and sprinting through a narrow corridor. The second room she encountered showed similar signs of damage. She gritted her teeth and continued following the echo map she pulled up on her cybernetic eye. 

_Shit. Someone's here. And whoever it is, they're not Hyperion. Either it's other pirates... or... Fuck._

She passed by a loaderbot that looked like it had been cloven in two by claws. Metal filings littered the edges of the scrapes and the gunslinger found herself shuddering. Even skags had a hard time getting through a loaderbot's chassis. She released her breath and found shadows and tucked herself into them whenever she had the chance. Oh, Athena would be getting a kick out of that. Miss-I'm-going-shoot-you-in-the-fucking-face-stealth-be-fucked hiding in the shadows like some kind of wannabe assassin. The waypoint glowed a reassuring pale green on her map, the beacon closing in closer. She stepped into a room that split in several directions and found herself surprised to see a set of vending machines. Diamond patterned steel mesh and a piece of corrugated steel formed one wall. There was a switch set in the wall, but the button glowed deep crimson. From the other side she could hear gun fire and shouts.

Nisha threw herself into the shadows behind a vending machine, inching as close to the open as she dared. The barking of a submachine gun died down and she heard a solid ting of a bullet ricocheting off of metal.

"Gaige, what the hell? He's dead." The voice was low, but definitely feminine. 

"Sorry, Mai, you can't stop the anarchy!"

The gunslinger found herself hesitating to try to place where she had heard a name sounding like Mai last. And then it hit her like a ton of bricks. Maya. The siren. 

"Reload your damn gun, Gaige."

"Aw, come on."

The siren grunted and then there was the sound of a cartridge being ejected and the satisfying click of a new one being slid home. 

"Better?"

"As long as you don't shoot me again, yes."

"You know anarchy gets crazy. You read books all the time, you know what anarchy means. And it bounced off your shield anyway."

For Nisha, something clicked and she found herself staring into the darkness in her little niche, her heart hammering. The bullet that took out her eye must have come from the mechromancer and then rebounded off of the siren's shield. There had only been two Vault Hunters at the showdown. She took a shaky breath, her fingers tracing the edge of the scar on her cheek. That was beyond a lucky shot.

"Doesn't mean I enjoy friendly fire."

"Would you rather have been here with Sal?"

At that point the other woman hesitated. A gun clattered against the ground. Soft hemming and hawing was heard in the pit as the two women divvied up their earnings.

"Hey, Mai, which gun should I keep? This pistol or the one I got from that sheriff chick?"

"Screw that gun, keep the new one. Or do you want a souvenir?"

"Eh, I like the one I got from Scarlett more."

"You mean that you got from me who picked it up after Scarlett dropped it."

"You traded me for it."

Nisha tuned out the last of their squabbling. Her initial fear at recognizing her would-be killers had boiled over into rage of the two Vault Hunters talking about her precious Law like it was a piece of junk. She ground her teeth, trigger finger itching to exact revenge on the two bitches that took her eye. 

"Hey, Gaige, I'm heading out. Axton and the guys said something about hunting with Hammerlock. Might as well hone my powers more, right?"

"Sure. I'll catch up in a bit. I got something I need to take care of first."

"You're not dropping everything to see Hammerlock? Are you ill?"

"Nah, I promised Scarlett something and she's coming to get it."

At that the siren grew silent. She sighed softly and not long after Nisha could hear her scoffing.

"Okay, whatver. Just... don't tell her you stole her gun. Yeah... Good luck with that."

Footsteps approached Nisha's hiding spot and she heard the siren heistate in front of Marcus' ammo dump. The lawbringer silently cursed, hoping her heartbeat wasn't audible over the thrum of the machine and the messages from Marcus. Eventually the siren's footsteps started again, rapidly disappearing into the refinery. The echoes died away soon after. Silence reigned over the hallway and the pit. The gunslinger inched forward, trying to get a view of the mechromancer when she heard the start of a bubbly tune that she had hoped she would never hear again.

I'm standing in your server room  
'Cause I got kicked off by a noob

She jammed her fingers in her ears as Gaige started singing along. The ex-lawbringer made a promise that she would murder whoever wrote that damn song. As soon as the tune ended, Nisha caught herself softly humming. Fuck. The noise in the pit changed from music to the background noise of an echosim. God damn it. She wanted her god damn pistol and the brat was standing there making her life all that more difficult. Uneven footsteps clumped across the metal grating and her breath caught in her throat. The footfalls stopped short of her hiding spot and she squeezed herself flush against the wall, daring not to breath. She swore she could feel eyes on her. And perhaps the darkness was playing tricks on her, but she was nearly certain Scarlett winked at her. 

"Ahoy there, mechromancer." Scarlett called cheerily as she made her way into the combat pit once occupied by Hyperius (the not so invincible).

"Scarlett! I did the thing. You know, the awesome thing with my bitching skills."

Nisha could picture Scarlett lifting an eyebrow and smiling indulgently, as though she was guiding a slightly dim student. 

"You've got the limb?"

"Duh. And man, I am jealous. I might have to redo mine after making this puppy. Hey, DT, come out, I need access to your storage banks, babe."

A few chirps and whirrs accompanied a flash of blue light. The ex-sheriff inched toward the door to the battle field and caught sight of the mechanized brute that was Deathtrap. She ducked back into the shadows, cursing Scarlett's name. She couldn't see what happened next, but the tone to Scarlett's voice told her that the pirate was very, very pleased. 

"Colour me impressed, Gaige. It is very well crafted. And the other digistruct I requested?"

There was a paused and then the clunk of a metal clatch being thrown open. The mechromancer cursed softly, but the noise carried.

"Sorry, forgot where I put it. I had to hide it since... well, people get nosy whenever I work."

"I would not blame them."

"You have what you promised me?"

"Of course." 

There was the sound of a metal and plastic object colliding against the girl's cybernetic arm. It was immediately followed by a high-pitched giggle and the utterance of 'fuck yeah'. 

"How the hell did you get your hands on a gun like this?"

"I have my ways. Pirate and all that."

Nisha got the distinct feeling that Scarlett had reached out with her good hand to shake Gaige's. She was half-expecting to hear guns fired and cries of agony, but instead there was nothing but good-natured laughter. There was hesitation for a moment or two.

"That gun over there, that wouldn't happen to be the Law, would it?"

Another long pause and the sound of footsteps crunching over hard packed dirt.

"Yep. Why? You want it?"

"It belonged to a friend. I'd like to have it, since my own pistol went missing." There was an edge to Scarlett's voice, but it didn't sound too accusing.

"Go ahead. I got... a crapton of better guns. DT, give her the goods and let's blow this popsicle stand. We've got hunting to do with some serious studs."

The robot chirped once again and then things grew quiet except for the sounds of footsteps heading up toward Nisha. The gunslinger pressed herself against the wall as Gaige strolled past, aimlessly stroking the barrel of her newly acquired assault rifle. As soon as the echoes of her footfalls died away, Scarlett's uneven steps started approaching her hiding spot.

"You can come out now, Mukti. Unless of course, you wish to become part of the scenery."

"You're working with Vault Hunters, again." Nisha spat the word as she eased herself out of her cramped little niche.

She rotated a stiff shoulder while fixing Scarlett with a glare. The pirate responded by lifting the corner of her lips in a little smirk.

"Only the one. She has a talent I don't have access to, and I frankly prefer avoiding... Ed, was it? Anyway, I got your gun back for you."

The redhead extended the pistol to her companion, a grin replacing the slight smirk. The brunette snatched it up, still glaring daggers.

"They were the ones that nearly killed me."

"I realize that. I had to hide from the siren myself. But it was well worth it. Come now, the Bacchanal awaits."

Nisha stood her ground, folding her arms over her chest, taking care to keep the pistol tucked away from her rib cage. 

"You're not even pissed off at me?"

"For what?"

"I stole a skiff, I disappeared in the middle of the night and came here even after you warned me not to."

The pirate shifted her weight from her flesh foot to her prosthesis, hitching a shoulder in a lazy shrug.

"Oh, don't worry about the skiff. It got stolen, by the way. I destroyed it. A real shame because I really liked the color. Oh, I knew you'd come. I had heard from my contact last night that she would be here today, and figured you'd be alright. No harm, no foul, right?"

The former sheriff fought back her every urge to stomp her foot and instead a choked half-scream of frustration ripped through her throat.

"You are the most infuriating person I have ever met!"

Scarlett had turned and started toward the narrow hallway leading back to the entrance.

"Oh, I get that a lot. Are you coming?"

Nisha groaned loudly and found herself following after the pirate despite her better judgment. She tried to mope and drug her feet, but soon found a hand on her back shoving her out in front of the redhead.

"Oh no, in your current foul mood, you stay in front. I don't like being stabbed in the back, thank you."

"Says the back stabber."

"I have yet to betray you, have I?"

"You've come close, just now."

"But I haven't. Do you not trust me, Nisha? I won't say I'm entirely hurt by it."

Scarlett only ever addressed her by her real name in the safety of the Bacchanal, so it shocked Nisha to hear her name spoken. Especially in Hyperion territory.

"How long do I have to keep trusting you before you decide a bullet needs to go in me?"

"I'll at least let you get out of here before I start my attempts to murder you. I don't want Hyperion getting their grubby paws on your...lovely corpse."

The lawbringer's lips drew back from her teeth and she tightened her grip on her newly reacquired Law. She knew the peace wouldn't last. And the revelation that it was only a temporary truce hurt more than if she had been stabbed in the back outright. A wave of embarrassment overcame her when she felt pricking at the corners of her eyes. 

_Don't be an idiot. You knew she was going to stab you in the back one day. At least she warned you. Keep an eye on her. And don't let her get behind you or strand you anywhere. If I'm going down, so is she._

The thought burned, but she refused to let it go. She would cling to it for several weeks before the nagging little voice in the back of her head returned in full force.


	6. Fighting the Tide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delays. Work has been absolutely slaughtering my free time. That and I've had writer's block from hell.  
> Hopefully I didn't screw up Hayter's Folly too much. Or characterization.

"Have any last words before you walk the plank?"

The sand pirate's eyes widened, eyebrows rising until they were fully covered by his blood red bandanna. His palm fumbled at his holster and after a few attempts, he drew his sidearm, aiming it directly at Scarlett. His captain's eye narrowed and in a flash of blue light her hook was replaced by an arm made of what resembled steel. The redhead crossed the few feet between them in a single stride. Long, cybernetic fingers closed around his throat, until there was an audible squish. Scarlett released her grip on the turncoat and glanced down at her blood-soaked prosthetic.   
Behind her, Nisha slid her pistol back in place, smirking smugly to herself. The grin was wiped off when blood splattered her cheek following the redhead's literal death grip. She ran the back of her hand over her face before turning to the Bacchanal's assembled crew.

"Let that be a lesson to you, assholes."

She knew none of them had seen her draw her gun -- or had the seen that she had pointed directly at Scarlett. 

"Shove off, all of you." Their usually ebullient captain growled her words, flicking her wrist in annoyance. 

When the last of her scarlet-clad crew returned to their stations, she allowed herself to heave a sigh. She turned from the plank and clambered up the ladder leading to her quarters before dropping into the chair just outside the door. Far above her, the crow's nest provided shade and a vantage point. Her lookout was now sleeping with the sandworms. Nisha gave herself a silent count to ten before she joined her companion. She leaned against a metal wall, waiting for the inevitable rant. It never came.

The ex-sheriff dug in her pockets before extracting an old bandana. She tossed it at Scarlett, who was much too busy toying with her new limb.

"I've never seen a human body do _that_ before. I'm not sure how keen I am on it. I know it is... bloody awesome. Don't give me that look. But, it is a tad too personal..."

The redhead shook her head as she passed the cloth over some of the bloodstains on her skin and clothing. She hesitated before cleaning her new arm. 

"You might've gotten a little carried away there. Hey-- I didn't say anything this time."

"We'll certainly have less anarchy on board. That is a plus. I can't believe one of my men actually tried to shoot at me!"

"Well, normally you don't give them the chance to."

Scarlett fixed her with a glare. Nisha lifted a shoulder in a lazy shrug, trying her hardest not to grin. Eventually the pirate scoffed. She finished wiping off the last of the blood and threw the bandanna at her companion. To her surprise (and delight) it hit Nisha in the face. 

"I would have given him a fair shot, if he didn't try to stab me in the back."

The gunslinger rolled her eyes as she leaned forward and placed a hand on Scarlett's shoulder. 

_Suck it up while you can. She's gonna twist that knife into your back any day now._

"He... just didn't appreciate how honest you were being. He deserved what he got. You could have stranded him with a rival crew or something." 

The lawbringer struggled to find a comparable torture. The whole pirate gig was still something she adjusting to, despite it being a good few months since she settled in with the Bacchanal's crew.   
A few minutes of silence past. Someone stumbled off the deck and into the waiting maw of a sand worm. No one really noticed. Except for the hapless crewmate, of course.

"You're right. I'm only angry that I got his blood all over me. I'm going to carry on and find somebody else to shoot. For his loot, of course," she added the clarification after a brief pause. "There is bound to be a treasure stash we've yet to hit."

With that the redhead seemed to brighten up again. She switched back to her hook before disappearing into her quarters. The gunslinger's eyes executed yet another roll; she would have grumbled if it weren't for memories of having to stroke Jack's already massive ego. She knew all about his stash of Engorge (TM). She nearly laughed at the memory. Nearly. 

She had been trying her hardest not to think about Jack since the news of his death. Sure, he was shit in the sack, but he had everything she had ever wanted in a man. Power, money, a plan. The psychosis was just... a bonus. But what had come of it? He was dead, his empire dwindling into nothing thanks to the Vault Hunters. They could have been heroes, wiped the bandit scum off of Pandora. That was then, though.   
Nisha exhaled loudly as she shoved away from her wall. She needed to kill something. Anything. Especially if it fought back. She went out of her way to kick the corpse of the pirate Scarlett killed and laughed when he fell overboard. The ex-lawbringer slaughtered the gathering swarm of sand worms with six well-placed rounds. Their explosions of ichorous gore had lost its amusement. Not long after she took care of the pests, her captain stepped out of their shared quarters, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Enter these coordinates into your echo eye. I've got us a real find."

"What kind of find?"

"You'll see. I am sure you will like what you see."

Nisha shot her a sidelong glance, inching away from the other woman. 

"As long as I get to kill something, I don't give a fuck what we find."

"Then you will absolutely love this! I have not one, but two people for you to kill."

Under her breath, the lawbringer muttered 'but wait, there's more'. Her echoeye was busily tracking down the coordinates. Not long after her mumbled add-on spiel, the eye pinged the location. Despite her best efforts, she felt her eyebrow rise.

"Hayter's Folly? Doesn't Sandman live there?"

Scarlett hitched a shoulder nonchalantly as she scanned the horizons. She shifted her weight a few times. 

"Lived, actually. The Vault Hunters kindly... Did away with him for me. Some fresh faces moved into his old hideout. And I feel we should welcome them to the area. Just the two of us."

The gunslinger hesitated. _Oh great, another bestie she's killed._

"What're the names of the two assholes you want me to kill?"

"Twin brothers, Top Knot and Dred Knot."

Nisha groaned loudly, her eyes once more taking asylum in her skull. She was half-tempted to facepalm. 

"I am so sick and tired of these goddamn nautical puns."  
\---  
Water splashed over their boots, filling the air with the scent of stagnant water and the sloshing of their steps. Nisha idly eyed a glowing mushroom, its light cast a faint blue tint to the water. Scarlett gather scattered crystals from fallen cave crystalisks, humming softly as she did. She had hardly spoken a word since they departed the Bacchanal. The gunslinger ignored her usually chatty companion's silence as she pulled up her Echoeye data on Hayter's Folly. Satisfied that her data held nothing of interest, she turned her attention to her surroundings. There were only a few scattered pirate camps. Mostly rusted steel than half-rotted wood. High above their heads, Oasis slowly withered under the desert sands. 

"They didn't realize this place had water?"

"Pirates had overtaken it and there were a lot of cowards."

The former sheriff fired a round from her shotgun, blasting away the crystal armor of a crystalisk. The redhead gathered the fallen stones as Nisha finished the creature off. 

"Where the fuck is their camp? This place is a labyrinth."

"We're getting close."

They rounded a corner to find a metal staircase looming ahead of them. The lawbringer adjusted her grip on her gun as she approached the metal grating. She refused to ascend until Scarlett was at her side. They climbed side-be-side, neither speaking. Their journey through the rocky terrain eventually deposited them in a large, open space, littered with catwalks and stairwells. Scarlett gestured to the otherside of the space.

"We'll cross through this and on the other side should be where our baddies are hiding."

"Let's kill some assholes."  
\--  
Nisha's first impression of Top Knot was that he was going to be a complete pushover. That was until she took a slice to the arm from his flailing cutlasses. As she was attempting to blow a hole through his chest cavity, Scarlett disappeared. Dred Knot proved to be an even tougher foe.

"What the fuck? Scarlett, why the fuck is he made of bones? Scarlett?"

She risked a glance out of the corner of her eye, only to find that she was alone with the skeletal fiend. He lunged for her, closing in with his blade barely missing her midriff. She blew her entire cache of shotgun shells, but the pirate kept coming for her. Nisha backed up until she stumbled over to the steps leading to where she found Top Knot. Gritting her teeth, she drew her pistol.

"Now I'm pissed."

A digistructed copy of her beloved Law appeared in her left hand and she let loose a torrent of bullets, ripping at the bones and tattered clothing covering her foe. Her guns clicked empty. She reached for her ammo when a gunshot boomed behind her. It clipped the top of her left shoulder and blew straight through the pirate's gleaming skull. Dred Knot collapsed in a heap at her feet, his sword clattering on the steel grating. The gunslinger spun around, only to wince at the pain in her injured shoulder.

"Where the hell were you?"

Scarlett didn't lower her pistol. There wasn't a trace of a smile on her face. The gun's sights leveled out to line up with the lawbringer's heart.

"I've been doing a bit of thinking. And while I do like you immensely, Nisha, I realize that you are expecting a betrayal, what with me being a pirate and all."

Nisha's brow furrowed, her mouth dropping open.

"You're shitting me."

"I'm afraid not. But, since I like you, and you've been quite the help to me, I am going to give you a choice. Option one, you die here. Not the greatest option, but I thought I'd give it to you."

She paused, tilting her hook as though inspecting it for signs of dirt.

"Or, there is option two."

"What is that?"

"You return to the Bacchanal with me and remain part of my crew."

"Why?"

Scarlett shifted her feet, her gun still trained on the brunette.

"Word is, the Vault Hunters want anyone tied to Jack and his little rise to power. Personally, I'd rather not get involved, but your little trick today had me questioning how well I can trust _you_."

The ex-sherrif's gold eyes were focused far away from Scarlett, somewhere further than their current location in Hayter's Folly.

"There's a catch if I stay, isn't there?"

Nisha refused to admit that she had her pistol in a death grip. She desperately clung to the ammo clip in her other hand.

"You get rid of that little Echo you've been stowing away on my ship. Savvy?"

The lawbringer's eyes grew wide at the mention of the device. Her first day conscious on the ship, she had stuffed the device into a crevice behind an ammo crate. The fact that Scarlett brough it up after talking about Jack left a bad taste in her mouth. She had almost forgotten about the recording. Almost. 

[ _Nisha silently waited until Scarlett was out of sight before she ducked back into the cabin. She dug through a few drawers until she found the few remaining scraps of her old gear tucked at the very bottom of the chest she had fallen over earlier that morning. Her hat was full of holes and there was a bullet lodged in her old badge. She very gingerly lifted the wide-brimmed hat to find an echo device. She exhaled slowly. It took her a good few seconds to work up the nerve to lift the device out of its hiding place. It took longer to get everything back in place before she could stash it in the waistband of her pants._

_After a few false starts, she found a path through the ship, down near the very bottom of the hull she found the ammo crates. She patted the walls a few times, searching for a good spot to hide the recording device until at last she found a niche that looked like it had been patched over after a grenade went off. She eased a corner of the patch up and slid the echo in, taking care to cover her tracks once again. Nisha knew she should have destroyed it. But part of her couldn't bring herself to do the task. It was all that she had left of Jack, as pathetic as it sounded. And hell, it didn't even have his voice on it._

_Maybe she was just trying to cling to her last memories of her old life. Maybe she was just delusional from the bloodloss. She wasn't sure. She covered her tracks and rejoined with Scarlett, acting as though nothing happened._ ]

Her fingers twitched on Law's grip before she slid it back into its holster. Her other hand slid her ammo back into its pouch.

"I'll get rid of it tonight. But on my own terms."

The tension that had built up on Scarlett's face eased up and a slow catlike smile crept across her lips.

"Glad to have you as part of the crew, matey."

Nisha stifled an urge to groan; her heart was still hammering in her throat, even as Scarlett lowered her gun. 

She was none-too-pleased to find out that their treasure was a load of Hyperion gear scavenged from Opportunity. Part of it included part of a Jack sculpture's head. Nisha borrowed a rocket launcher from the loot stash and blew the hunk of marble to smithereens. Scarlett had done a double take, nearly flinching at her companion's reaction. She made sure that Nisha didn't spot the broken down Claptrap unit or the more valuable items in the collection after that outburst. 

\--  
Nisha sat on the collapisble chair at the prow of the Bacchanal. Her only companion was a telescope and her old echo, fished out of hiding. She pursed her lips before pressing the play button. She flinched when she heard her own voice.

"Hey, Jack. Thought I'd give you one last message in case things go south. I'm not sure what's gonna happen, but I sure as hell won't go without a fight. Though as I'm getting ready for this showdown, I find myself thinkin' what in the hell are we doing? If they take me down, you'll probably be next. They already got Wilhelm. We're losing this war. Not sure if this is how I originally pictured myself going down. Doesn't feel all that heroic to me."

There was a pause in the recording and then the audible gulp that came with chugging down a Rakk Ale. 

"It's been fun, Jack. I might've... You know what, never mind. You're probably never going to listen to this damn thing anyway. Do whatever you have to do."

The echo turned off with a click. Nisha released a breath she didn't realize she was holding and glanced down at the incriminating device.

"You drug me down to your level. Nearly got me killed then got wasted by a bunch of punks. I'm kinda thinking that I'm the only winner in this situation."

She tossed the echo onto the deck before drawing Law. She emptied a clip into the recorder, just for the sheer satisfaction of the destruction. There wasn't much left when she was done with her task. She kicked the few remains overboard before collapsing heavily into the folding chair. 

"Hero my ass." Nisha mumbled as she grabbed the telescope and jammed in five dollars.

The view wasn't nearly as stunning as the one from Elpis, but for the location, it wasn't half bad. She lazily studied pirate camps in the distance, the rise of small mountains that carved through the sand. The familiar H in the sky loomed above Elpis, but from where she was it looked tiny. She found herself hoping some idiot would send it crashing to the surface of Pandora. Her view was blocked out after a few seconds.   
As she was about to jam in another five dollars, she found a familiar face on the other end of the scope. Nisha jerked away from the telescope, nearly toppling over in her chair. 

"Shit! Don't do that, Scarlett!"

"Just thought I'd check on you. I almost thought you were murdering my crew."

The lawbringer adjusted herself, passing a hand over her heart, while glaring at Scarlett. 

"I got what you asked done, and that's it."

"You don't want to talk about it, do you?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Now leave me alone."

"Just thought I'd offer. Glad to see that you decided where your loyalty lies."

Nisha silently wished that there was an echoeye with a built in laser for burning holes into idiots' backs. She waited until Scarlett was gone before she allowed the slightest hint of a smile work across her lips.

_At least she hasn't let you down yet._


	7. Cabin Fever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter turned out to be way longer than expected. Once more we have Nisha being an asshole. And I apologize in advance; it's been a while since I wrote smut. So yeah...

The wind had died out somewhere over the barren sea. Normally, it wouldn't have been a problem for the crew of the Bacchanal since the sails were largely used for decoration. However, there was the issue of the main thrusters that kept the massive skiff afloat giving out. Scuttlebutt was that it was sabotage. Of course, Scarlett had her doubts. Nisha, however, didn't. 

The crew sent to scavenge for new parts had been gone for nearly a week. While their rations would last them another two weeks, the crew was beginning to grow restless. The power to the Catch-a-Ride had been cut the instant the salvage crew was sent out. It didn't help that it sunk into the sand after the last burst of energy from the power supply died off. So there they were, the ruthless sand pirates, trapped on a skiff in sandworm infested... sands. A few crew members had tried to fast travel, only for their connection to die out halfway through transportation. It wasn't pretty. No one on board the Bacchanal was happy. It would only be a matter of time before tempers reached their boiling points.

Nisha spent the majority of her waking hours trying to use her Echoeye to find a fast fix for the Bacchanal-- if solely to keep Scarlett off of her back. She didn't bother mentioning the fact that she had the mechanical aptitude of a dead skag. Whenever she wasn't pretending to work on the skiff, she hid in the crow's nest, toying with her guns or sleeping. As it turned out, it was nearly impossible to sleep while Scarlett anxiously paced the cabin and talked to herself. Seven long, sleepless nights and the growing desire to get the hell off the skiff had taken its toll. She still was pissed that Scarlett refused to let her go scavenging. 

Nisha crept down the ladder, regularly scanning the deck as she descended. No signs of the captain. She sped through metal corridors until she reached the lift. As she waited for the lift to reach her, she found herself debating which Echosim to mess with. Once the lift clattered into place, she jabbed the controls. It was the only piece of tech other than the purifiers and fridges that worked. The metal platform lurched toward the lowest floor. Ultimately she settled on a recording of Springs fixing some tech that she had recorded for a certain gladiator-- if only to torment her with grease-stained skin. At least if Scarlett dropped in, it'd look like she was getting help.

The lift settled heavily down on the level with the thruster's control room. With one quick turn, she would reach the vending machines and the blocked off entrance to the Catch-a-Ride. She ran a hand over her upper arms, rubbing at the goosebumps forming. It was much cooler at the bottom of the ship. The gunslinger ambled toward the control room, idly humming Mainframe for the tenth time that day. As she reached for her folding metal chair, she found it was missing. A loud thump from a few feet away told her that she wasn't alone. The soft curse that followed told her that her companion was none other than Scarlett herself. 

The lawbringer spun on the ball of her foot, trying to duck back out of the engine room before she was spotted. She was much too late for that.

"Nisha, could you come here for a moment?"

"Shit."

She drug her feet, hands jammed deep in her pockets as she shuffled toward the pirate. The ruse was up. Maybe she did know exactly what was wrong and was refusing to work solely to spite Scarlett.

"Scarlett."

"Don't you Scarlett me." The redhead snapped as she gestured to the thruster's controls.

Nisha's eyes swept down to a few recently reconnected wires, a scorched wrench, and a burned out circuit board. Right next to the control panel was a box, which on closer inspection held a dozen new circuits and a spool of wire. 

"Don't take this the wrong way, Nisha, but I hate you."

"What?" The ex-sheriff was hoping that she could feign innocence, but she had a sinking feeling that she played innocent about as well as she acted innocent. Poorly.

Scarlett rolled her eyes before thumping the controls with the butt of her prosthetic hand. A low hum echoed through the room. It was soon replaced by the thump of an override and the woosh of the jets. Nisha's eyes widened just slightly, biting her lower lip. She was out the door and trailing a string of curses before Scarlett could turn back to her. Admittedly, she was still pissed over the whole turn of events at Hayter's Folly. But perhaps she had taken it just a little too far that time.

She sprinted on, reaching the turnoff for the lift. Right as she reached out to slap the button that would take her to the deck and freedom, cold metal fingers closed on her throat. Her back was slammed against the wall, her gold eyes widening when she realized just how fast the pirate was.

"Normally, I'd be into this whole-gack." She sputtered, her legs flailing uselessly below her.

"I don't take too kindly to someone sabotaging my ship."

The ex-sheriff wheezed, trying to pry at the steel fingers crushing her windpipe. She remembered what happened to the last guy to end up on the other end of Scarlett's prosthetic and renewed her attempts to break free.

"S--sorry." She croaked, lifting her chin in a desperate attempt to get some air.

"I have done so much for you, and this is how you repay me?"

Nisha swallowed, still trying to break free of the redhead's grip, even as her vision started clouding. 

"Didn't mean anything by it. Was gonna fix it today. C-can't fuckin breath, Scar."

"Give me one reason why I should keep you after all this nonsense."

The lawbringer managed to gain some leverage before she slammed her knee into Scarlett's stomach. The pirate let go of her out of surprise and backed up half a step. Unfortunately, Nisha had not planned ahead. She landed heavily on the knees, gasping and sputtering for her breath. Scarlett was on her again almost instantly.

"I've got yer one reason. You think I'm hot."

Figures, she'd be the idiot to make a potshot when she was seeing stars and was about to die. She was unceremoniously hoisted to her feet, strong fingers closing around her throat once more. She awaited the inevitable pop and squish of her neck being crushed by a metal hand, but it never came. She cracked open an eye she didn't realize she shut. The fingers were still around her neck, but there was no pressure. Scarlett's other hand thumped against the metal wall alongside Nisha's head. She pursed her lips before she released a slow breath. Nisha blinked a few times.

"Uh..."

"Shut up, I'm thinking."

The lawbringer rolled her yes at least until the gap between her and Scarlett closed. Warm lips and a cold lip ring pressed against her lips, making her flinch. When Scarlett didn't back off, she relented, relaxing into the kiss (albeit a bit reluctantly). The hand that had been wrapped around her throat slid away to the wall. 

Loud footsteps clattered up the ramp leading from the Catch-a-Ride. The footfalls stopped in their tracks. After a brief moment of silence, the sound resumed in a much faster pace toward the stairs.

"Perhaps we should take this somewhere a little... more private?"

"What?" Nisha gasped, her head spinning from the lack of oxygen.

When Scarlett back away, the gunslinger's knees gave out from under her. She slumped to the floor, rubbing at her bruised throat.

"What're you doing down there?"

Nisha narrowed her eyes and rubbed at her throat again, making the gesture more obvious. With an overly dramatic sigh, Scarlett crouched down and gathered her companion in her arms.

"Second time I've carried you across this ship. I dare say you owe me one."

"Gotcha."

"Save you words, Nisha, you might need them."

\---

Not long later, Nisha's back brushed against the sheets adorning Scarlett's bed. One of the pirate's hands was struggling with her belt buckle, she would have reached down to help, if she didn't find her own hands full- and her mind much more preoccupied by the lips pressing roughly against hers. Scarlett swatted at her roving hands, forcing them back to her belt buckle. 

"I am  _not_ doing all of the work, Nisha."

The ex-sheriff snorted, hiding her grin in Scarlett's throat. She fumbled with the buckle, trying to figure out the locking mechanism without a good view. A few minutes of frustrated struggling later, Scarlett sat up, dexterously twisting the screw-like mechanism while Nisha tugged at the thick buckle holding her breeches up. 

"Been a while, huh, Scarlett?"

The pirate's eyes narrowed before she slammed her companion's shoulders back on the bed. Her next few kisses left Nisha's lips bruised. The lawbringer struggled, groping blindly as she attempted to find the way to remove Scarlett's shirt. With a frustrated grunt, Scarlett, guided her hands to a zipper. Nisha's hands soon began to wander again, this time up to the connection between Scarlett's prosthetic and what remained of her leg. Her hand was slapped and drug back up to the pirate's chest.

"That stays on, thank you."

\--

Nisha groaned softly when hot lips pressed against her bruised throat. Her fingers were tangled in deep red hair as Scarlett's lips steadily traveled down to her collarbone. Old habits kicked in and her teeth grazed Scarlett's shoulder. When the pirate didn't flinch or scold her, she bit down harder. Her grip was broken when then pirate returned the favor -- albeit somewhere a bit more sensitive.

"Mind your manners, or I will strangle you again-- and you will not like it."

Long fingers curled around her throat, pressing gently against the fresh bruises. Cold steel against her hot flesh made Nisha gasp. She squirmed beneath Scarlett, feeling the steel of her lover's prosthetic leg.

"I'll finish what we started if you say the word."

"Which thing we started and which word?"

Scarlett drew away, a frown curling the corners of her lips. Nisha hesitated for a beat before she pulled Scarlett back toward her.

"What I meant is, did you want me to continue? We could leave things as they are... No words about it."

There was something strangely vulnerable about Scarlett when she was outside of her usual captain's garb. It didn't help that her voice haltered as she fought to make eye contact.

"Never was one for backing out of things."

A small smile lifted the corners of Scarlett's lips. Her hands slid up Nisha's sides, stopping just shy of her prospective lover's breasts. She glanced over at her metal limb before loosening its rigging.

"How about we do this properly? Not the pirate way."

Nisha didn't get a chance to respond before Scarlett pressed their lips together. Despite her better judgment, she began relaxing into the kisses, returning them with nearly equal passion. The lawbringer felt a warm thigh press between her own. A small part of her was screaming at her to shove the pirate away. She told that little voice to go fuck itself. Teeth closed on her lower lip, shaking her from her little reverie. Nisha struggled to keep herself from moaning when the redhead pulled away. She surprised herself by dragging Scarlett back for another kiss.

Scarlett broke away from the gunslinger's lips to trail feathery soft kisses across her partner's jaw and down her throat. A much different tactic from her previous attempt-- when she was going by her pirate's instinct. She pressed her lips firmly, but gently over both of the scars adorning the brunette's shoulders. She'd apologize about the newer one later. If she remembered. She pressed one more soft kiss on the new patch of scar tissue before resuming her path.

A soft moan escaped Nisha's lips when Scarlett kissed the nipple she bruised not too much earlier. The lawbringer buried her hands in Scarlett's hair once more, making the pirate grin as she continued her caresses. Nisha half-expected to feel the cold steel of her lover's prosthetic, but instead, warm flesh and blood fingers traced small circles around her other nipple.. Soft lips lingered, savoring the taste of chestnut skin. She drew away almost hesitantly before letting her lips trail lower down the tense muscles of the gunslinger's stomach.

\--

The cabin was almost silent save for the sound of their breathing.

"Well, shit." Nisha murmured.

Scarlett lazily stretched her flesh and blood leg, a catlike grin spreading over her lips. 

"Enjoy yourself?"

"Was not expectin' that."

"If you stop attempting to stab me in the back, we could do that more often."

The brunette was silent for a moment before a soft chuckle escaped her throat.

"I'm guessin' you've been waitin' to do that."

"Long enough."

"I was enjoying fucking with you-- uh, messing up your plans. Trying to start a mutiny and all that."

Scarlett slowly shook her head, her grin still firmly in place.

"We could still fight. For... cover. Until you're ready to stop struggling and accept the pirate life."

Nisha folded her arms over her chest, eyeing the redhead suspiciously. 

"So what was the other thing the kid gave you?"

"You'll just have to wait and see. We can't go and spoil a good thing, now can we?"

"Maybe I do like the way you think."

\--

Sometime later, Nisha slipped out from under Scarlett's arm. The pirate snored softly, finally catching up on lost sleep after a week of fervent planning. The lawbringer smirked as she tugged on her piratical duds as she had started calling the outfit the redhead picked out for her. She could only hear the other woman's snores and the soft hum of the Bacchanal's engines. Without another sound, she slid out of the cabin and into the cool early evening air. 

An abandoned pirate village loomed in the distance, drenched in the shadows of a massive rock formation carved by the sea. Salt could still be smelled on the air, but only in faint whiffs. Nisha exhaled slowly as she started for the ladder. Once more the foredeck was calling her name. She had to gingerly step over a dozing pirate to reach her usual perch. 

Once she settled on the hard metal seat, she crammed five dollars into the telescope. At first she scoped out the village. As she suspected, it was devoid of life. The nearby rock structure held nothing of interest. Some distance off, there was a shipwreck. Nisha quickly lost interest and redirected the scope to Helios. The giant H seemed closer than ever. What she could make out was more damaged than she last remembered. She blinked and pulled back from the scope in an attempt to figure out why the station seemed so close.

"What the..."

The cabin boy, Under Toe, burst out onto the deck, eyes wild as he stared gape-mouthed at the Hyperion structure. 

"Helios is falling!"

The gunslinger adjusted the telescope, trying to confirm the little person's words. When her view in the scope went back, she could only stare blankly at the sky.

A few more pirate shuffled over, one snatched the scope from her grip and passing it around. There was a general buzz of excitement as the crew speculated the cause of the falling station. A thunderously loud boom silenced the crew, the sound echoing through the rocky valley and rattling the skiff under their feet. No one heard Scarlett join them. 

Nisha's Echoeye fed her information, running the speed of the falling station, not that she cared. Scarlett tapped her shoulder and pointed to the sky, cocking an eyebrow. By the looks of it, she had been woken up by the noise and grabbed the first thing she could find to cover herself.

"Helios is falling... Hyperion's dead."

When the space station was no longer in sight, the crew dispersed, leaving Nisha and Scarlett. After a few minutes of silence, the ground beneath the skiff rocked and lurched. The distant shipwreck collapsed, taking chunks of the rock ledge it was attached to with it. Helios had finally hit the surface. The dust and sand settled as both women struggled to find words. 

"So... It's gone now. Are you... going to leave?"

Nisha ran a hand through her dark locks, her shoulders slumping. A few stray strands stood up around her fingers.

"Don't have much of a choice. Go out there, get killed by a Vault Hunter. Stay here and... do whatever the hell I've been doing."

Scarlett uncurled her flesh and blood fingers, revealing a small silver star. Upon closer look, it was dented in the center and part of a bullet was lodged dead center.

"I've been meaning to give this back to you. Not that it really matters."

Nisha took the sheriff's badge in a calloused palm, her thumb grazing the once smooth surface. It was warm from Scarlett's hand; warmer than it had ever been. The lawbringer traced the outline of the star before she pitched it off the edge of the skiff. She heard the redhead gasp.

"Far as I'm concerned, Nisha's dead. Died a long time ago. Is double dead now that Hyperion's gone."

The redhead hesitated before she moved closer to Nisha. She shifted her weight a few times, wishing that there was a second chair on the deck. Or at least that she had grabbed something warmer than a long shirt.

"I take it's a pirate's life for you, hm?"

Despite herself, the brunette grinned.

"Arr, matey."

"I don't actually talk like that, do I?"

"You sure as hell do."

"At least I don't go around saying 'howdy, pardner'."

Normally by that point, Nisha would have drawn Law, but this time she started laughing.

"Alright, I'll work on it. Now let's get inside. I hate the cold."

As she started for their shared cabin, the gunslinger could feel Scarlett's eyes on her back. Not long later, she heard uneven footfalls trying to catch up to her. 

_Well, I wasn't expecting that. Guess this is where I start over. Could be worse._


	8. Swashbuckling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter fought me the entire way. I debated endings at least a dozen times. 
> 
> I've decided against the bonus chapter, so just one more chapter to go.

"Hnng, this wouldn't have happened if you woulda listened to me!"

There was a solid thump as Nisha tried to twist out of Scarlett's grip, but failed. The metal connection to the pirate's hook pressed flush to her throat.

"We are not killing all of... the crew for one tiny incident! Gnnh!"

Nisha's elbow connected with the redhead's stomach. The brief scuffle that ensued left her with a few bruises-- and an equally bruised pride. The fights were supposedly for cover, but word had gotten out about them. All thanks to the Cabin Boy, Under Toe.

"Shoulda just let me kill that midget."

"If anyone kills him, it will be me. And I said no."

Nisha glared up at Scarlett, who still had her pinned. Athena would have laughed her ass off over that one.

"Then will you get off of me?"

"Promise you won't shoot him?"

The gunslinger clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes. After a rather pointed glare from her lover, she let out a mix of a sigh and a groan.

"Fine. Just send me somewhere that I can shoot someone."

Scarlett released the lawbringer's arms, slowly sitting up. She remained firmly in place even after Nisha sat up. The two women stared each other down. A few crew members made wagers on what would happen next. It was much more amusing than watching what the sandworms were up to. The pirate queen rose, extending her flesh and blood hand to Nisha. The gunslinger hesitated before taking it. There wasn't much use in fighting.

"Word is, in Hayter's Folly, there's a badass crystalisk. Tougher than the one that killed off all the Dahl workers over in the Caustic Caverns."

Nisha straightened her bandanna as she started pulling up data on the crystalisk in question.

"And you couldn't have told me about this sooner?"

"After our last... incident, there, I didn't feel quite up to telling you about it."

The lawbringer had opened her mouth to comment, but changed her mind when the ominous tone to Scarlett's voice registered in her mind. By that point, the rest of the crew had wandered off, disappointed the there was neither sex nor blood.

"Alright. A crystalisk. Gotcha."

"It lives in a little place called Grendel's Den, off of the Aquanexus. Grendel, a bullymong, is dead thanks to the Vault Hunters, but you know Pandora." Scarlett pronounced it as ak-wa-nexus. She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, lips pursing.

"And do be careful. I think things are finally starting to work out between us."

_Us. Well, that's a new one._

Nisha caught herself rubbing the side of her neck. She risked a glance over at Scarlett.

"You're gonna be reading Crimefighter Frog again, aren't ya?"

"More than likely. But you can always Echo me, if you get bored."

The gunslinger nodded, turning on her heel to head for the Catch-a-Ride, their little tiff all but forgotten. Scarlett caught her arm with her non-metal hand and pulled her back. Nisha jerked away in surprise when she was kissed on the cheek.

"Did I startle you?"

"Sorry, not used to that. Yet."

The pirate queen tilted her girlfriend's head, planting a soft kiss on her lips.

"Now seriously, don't die. I'd actually miss you if you were gone."

The redhead released Nisha's arm and gave her a little wave before she strolled off to their shared quarters. Nisha idly rubbed at her cheek. It took quite the effort of will to wipe the smirk off of her face. Any crew member who caught her grinning was duly threatened with Law.

\--  
She got lost again. She half-expected that cohabiting with a pirate would make her life that much easier. Maybe it was a user feature for the Echoeye that she didn't have access to. It was a jailbroken cybernetic after all. Her boots sloshed through shallow water, disturbing clumps of weeds. The waypoint was pointing to somewhere nearby, but for the life of her she couldn't figure it out. At least until a rusted car door dropped into the shallow pool beside her, soaking her to the bone. It was obvious that the fall of Helios had shaken things up in the underground passage.

After a moment of soft cursing, she started to climb up a rusted out car body, carefully judging each step should she go plummeting down to the pool once more -- but albeit with 2 tons of solid steel coral pink convertible following. Nisha lost count of the numerous pieces of broken down cars she passed. She couldn't even name a quarter of the crap that formed the heap. Her Echoeye told her it came from a sinkhole in Oasis caused by the recent jarring of the planet's crust. Whatever the hell that was supposed to mean. The Echoeye also informed her that the car door that nearly crushed her was worth a small fortune for its paint alone.

"Huh. Maybe Janey had a point."

At least that's what she thought until she saw the small print: On Promethea.

A rocky path, strewn with even more junk greeted her after her trek up Mt. Scrapheap (local lingo according to her eye). Large clusters of crystal provided soft, blue light. She broke off chunks from the cluster for Scarlett. They sure as hell weren't Seraphs, but they were still valuable. Nisha crossed a narrow, half-rotted bridge, not even remotely concerned with the lack of assholes trying to kill her. As soon as she reached the other side, the bridge collapsed into the pit.

_Well, if that isn't a bad sign, I don't know what is._

In the distance, she could make out a faint pink glow and some industrial lights that had yet to fully burn out. The glow pulsed, growing brighter than the dull blue of the crystals behind her.

"That isn't creepy at all."

Nisha drew Law, carefully scanning her surroundings as she stepped into the Den proper. There was an absolutely massive heap of junk in the dead center of the room, not unlike the one she had scaled to reach the scrapyard. It looked as though it was made out of old building parts. Here and there were clusters of seraph crystals.

"I have a real bad feeling about this. This guy's gotta be a real badass."

She gingerly stepped forward, inching toward the closest cluster. She tapped it with the butt of her pistol. Nothing happened. She broke off a crystal and was about to stash it in her backpack when the mountain of junk shifted with an ominous groan. It rose, the back of the beast barely cleared the ceiling. The crystals glowed a deep reddish pink before it brought a massive foot down. The gunslinger leapt back into the entry tunnel, glancing back at the defunct bridge.

Her Echoeye told her that the thing's name was Quarry. And it was pissed.

_Shit. Shit. SHIT!_

She fired a few shots only to watch with horror as they bounced off of the beast's hide.

_What the hell was the name of that wildlife guy? Hammer something. Hammersmith?_

A mass of crystals crashed into the wall beside her, showering her with glass-like shards. She threw herself out of her hiding spot and started running for cover.

_C'mon, c'mon! Same name as that ice bitch, Aurelia._

She tripped over a particularly large padlock, sending Law flying from her hand. Quarry was slowly turning toward her, raising a massive leg. One desperate reach later, Law was back in her hand and she was on her feet.

_Hammerlock!_

Her Echoeye brought up a link to his compendium of creatures. Nisha had just enough time to dive behind a pile of rubble left in Quarry's wake before it brought its foot down where she had been seconds before.

_Crystalisk, crystalisk... Here! Shoot the crystals? Really? How the fuck did I forget that?_

She stashed Law into its holster and drug out a Torgue scattergun. Her first shot missed, scattering a few explosive rounds among the scrap. Shot two was on target and blew out half of a patch of crystal armor on the creature's foreleg. After taking down its first leg, She decided to switch tactics, drawing Law again. Playing hide and seek with a big ass hunk of rock was starting to lose its appeal. A copy of Law settled into her palm and she grinned.

"Time to prove who the real badass is here."  
\--  
Nisha dove to the floor of the scrapyard, taking one last shot at the armor lining the top of Quarry's tiny head. The last of the crystals shattered. She grinned and started to pick herself off of the floor as the creature fell. Quarry exploded, taking her completely by surprise. Something bit at her arm. Warm wetness started coursing down her forearm from a spot just above her elbow. She blinked a few times, eyes drawn to the damp spot on her arm. A shard of seraph crystal stuck out of her, part of it jutting out from the other side of her bicep.

"Fuck."

She jammed the only Insta-Healing hypo she brought with her into her arm, in hopes of staving off her need to see Doctor Ed long enough for her to gather the goods dropped by Quarry. She was shaking and her shirt was once more drenched by the time she had collected the crystals and the few guns left behind. There was another path open, one that would take her around the scrap heap. Nisha wearily staggered forward, occasionally pausing to lean against a wall to catch her breath. Below her elbow was completely numb. She could feel the darkness creeping into the corners of her eyes, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

Nisha couldn't even remember using the Fast Travel to the Bacchanal.

\--  
Scarlett heard a door shut somewhere behind her. She glanced up from her Echo and her issue of Crimefighter Frog. She would have complained about the unnecessary noise when the scent of blood caught her attention. As far as she knew no one on board was injured-- and no one onboard that was injured had any business in her quarters. She swung her legs off of her bed, only for her foot to slide when it met a pool of blood. Years of practice kept her from falling. It wasn't just a puddle, it was a trail.

"What the...?"

The pirate gathered her pistol, clutching it tightly in her hand as she followed the trail. It led to her personal bathroom. Gun in hand, she threw open the bathroom door, not entirely sure what she was expecting. She definitely wasn't expecting to see Nisha slumped in the shower stall, clutching her arm.

"Shit."

Scarlett very carefully packed strips of cloth around the shard of crystal, trying to keep it from moving and slipping out. She had to remind herself that wrenching the crystal out of Nisha's arm would almost definitely kill her regardless of the amount of healing hypos she had. She knew she had to do something about it and soon.

"I told you to be careful."

Nisha didn't respond. Scarlett raided her personal supply of healing aids and started pumping her lover full of them, keeping as calm as she possibly could. At some point, the gunslinger groaned weakly. Nisha didn't move for a good while.

"Oh god, no."

The redhead felt her good eye starting to sting and rubbed at it with the back of her hand, not expecting it to come back moist. Part of her wanted to shake Nisha and yell at her for being such an idiot. She sat in silence instead. She lost track of how long she sat there, waiting.

"Fucking crystalisks."

In her haste to scramble away from the sudden sound, Scarlett bumped her head on the side of a small bathtub. When her shock faded a little, she hurried to Nisha's side, peering over the lawbringer.

"That damn thing put up one helluva fight."

"You idiot! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Had myself scared there for a minute." Nisha smiled weakly, her eyes still shut.

She tried to move her arm, but only got a feeble twitch. Or what she thought was a twitch. She had enough painkillers coursing through her to knock out an Alpha skag. It left her with a nice, fuzzy, floating feeling.

"I really can't leave you to do a job on your own, can I?"

Nisha lifted her good shoulder, finally peeling her eyes open.

"The job got done."

"But you left a trail of blood all over my floor and nearly died in my shower."

"I didn't nearly die. I was sleeping."

"Honestly, I should kill you myself."

"Nah, it wouldn't be fun and you know it."

Scarlett released a breath through her nose. She ran a hand through her hair before rising from the floor. When she turned back, Nisha was unconscious once more.

Nisha was carefully placed into the hammock, her injured arm draped over her head as the redhead tried to plan her course of action. Scarlett couldn't help but stare at the lawbringer, who hadn't even twitched as she lie there. The pirate adjusted her hat as she started an Echo call. She cast one last glance behind her shoulder as her contact answered.

"Hey, Vault Hunter, I have a job for you. I need your hand at making another prosthetic. No, no, just give me a list for whatever you need and I will have it waiting. Yes, as soon as you can. I... thank you, Vault Hunter."

She disconnected, blowing another breath through her nose. Scarlett crossed back to Nisha and carefully adjusted a scarf to cover the bottom of the gunslinger's face. She wasn't very keen on the idea of amputating a limb without consent, but one look at the limb told her she didn't have much choice in the matter. At least Nisha had enough sense to tie a tourniquet over her arm. As soon as she was content that Nisha's identity was concealed she left her quarters in search of Under Toe and a few other volunteers. She relayed the list of parts that were needed from the Washburne Refinery, making sure to drive home the point that if they failed she would personally kill them. And enjoy it. Once that was done, she anxiously paced the fore-deck, waiting for signs of the Vault Hunter.

Gaige arrived not too much later, rubbing at her eyes and looking a little less than pleased to be there.

"Uh, you needed my help?"

"Ah, good, you are here. I'll try not to keep you long, this is just... well, important."

The mechromancer stared at her, hitching a shoulder as she followed after Scarlett.

"You didn't break my prosthetic already, did you?"

"Erm, no. There is someone that needs a new one desperately. I have my crew getting the supplies you requested."

_Scarlett was halfway up to her quarters by the time she finished speaking. Gaige was struggling to keep up with the frantic pirate._

"Well, I have what I'd need to get started. Plasma torch and the base arm."

"Do you... keep a stash of arms lying around?"

"Nah, I just had an idea based on the one I made you. I figured I could tweak it a little. Ehn Bee Dee."

The pirate didn't even bother to ask any more questions and led her companion straight to her quarters, gently tugging Gaige away from anything she might have stared at.

"What the hell happened to him?"

"Crystalisk. And she is a she, thank you. Let me know if you need anything and I will make sure you have it."

"Healing hypos. A fuckton."

"Over there on the dresser. I'll go an contact my crew and make sure they have what you requested."

_\--_

"Well, she should be good. Pissed 'cause you took her arm, but alive. I used the scrap you gave me to build up a better joint and it should hold for now. I'll send you the new connection once I'm back in Sanctuary."

"I can't begin to thank you enough for this."

"Ehn bee dee. I really needed those Hyperion parts."

"Big project?"

"You can say that."

"Best of luck, then."

"Thanks. Good luck with your, uh, friend." Gaige gave a half-assed little wave and started for the Fast Travel Station.

As soon as the younger redhead was out of sight, Scarlett allowed her shoulders to sag. Under Toe followed with a mop, being that the swabbie had pissed off the captain by staring gape-mawed at the wounded lawbringer. She sat quietly on the edge of her bed while Under Toe cleaned up, industriously whistling an old sea shanty to the best of his ability. He left without a word, still on edge should Nisha wake and decide to murder him on the spot. It took all the patience she could spare to keep herself from walking across the newly clean floor to get to Nisha. Instead she busied herself by changing into her pyjamas.

She crossed the floor carefully, removing the straps to her prosthetic leg shortly after she got a leg up on the hammock. She set the limb on the floor and did the same with her hook. Content that she wasn't going to hurt the other woman, she leaned over and started pulling off the face coverings and any heavy pieces of clothes that would be uncomfortable for Nisha to rest in. At some point in the replacement of her arm, Nisha had stirred. She wasn't conscious long. (Not that Scarlett could blame her.) With a soft sigh, Scarlett brushed inky hair out of Nisha's face and settled in alongside her lover, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.

Nisha awoke with a start several hours later. Her left arm felt heavier than she remembered and it didn't work exactly the way she wanted it to. In a brief moment of panic, she flailed at the side of the hammock until it lurched and pit formed in her stomach. She hit the floor with a thump and with Scarlett on top of her. The pirate blinked slowly, trying to fathom where she was and why her bed was so uncomfortable. At least until she glanced down.

"What on Pandora are you doing down there?"

"Hammock tipped."

The redhead's gaze lingered on Nisha's left arm. Her brow creased, her lips forming a tight little slash. Nisha's eyes followed where she was staring.

"Oh."

"I'm sorry about your arm. I tried everything I could, but it was a total loss. Couldn't have you bleeding to death on my ship."

"Funny. You've let other crew members do that."

"Well, they're not you. And... Once you join my crew, it's for life. I only kill traitors, assholes, and deserters."

"I'm an asshole, but I'm still here."

"There's a difference; I actually like you."

Nisha met her eyes, a cocky grin worming its way across her face.

"So, that's why you're still on top of me."

"You owe me for what you put me through last night."

"I brought back the loot--"

Scarlett kissed her before she could finish her sentence. The words died in her throat. She had no idea how to use her left arm and still felt a little dopey, but shit, Scarlett was giving her an offer she couldn't refuse.


	9. Romance on the High Sands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we have reached the end of this fic. It's been both fun and a royal pain in the ass.   
> I'm keeping this farewell chapter brief.

It took Nisha several long, grueling weeks to master her new prosthetic under Scarlett's guidance. The phantom pains were the worst in those days. Whenever Scarlett would catch her staring at her new metal appendage, the pirate would stop in her tracks. She'd cross to Nisha and run her hand along the length of the metal limb up to the warm flesh, holding eye contact as long as she could. She was patient with Nisha. Kind and never placing the blame on Nisha's gung-ho attitude. The lawbringer found that she believed the chipper words of encouragement. That she craved them. Scarlett was always enthusiastic about her lover's little victories. No act was too small to escape her watchful eye. The day the gunslinger managed to form a fist was call for celebration. By the time Nisha could easily twirl her gun with a seamless flick of her wrist, the pair were thicker than thieves.

During Nisha's rehabilitation, the Bacchanal was surprisingly peaceful. There were plenty of jobs, but none of the usual squabbling among the crew. At first the crew was wary, but a happy Scarlett let them drink as much as they liked. Somehow they kept finding gun stashes and loot. Not as rare as they wanted, but it was enough. None questioned where Scarlett got the information and none let on that they knew the guns came from Scarlett's own personal stash. Of course, it couldn't last forever. Unrest started to grow as the gunslinger grew closer to perfect draw once again. 

"I daresay I don't have to coach you on using a gun. Take aim at that sandworm there. I want proof you're up to the challenge before I break the news."

Nisha lined up the shot, her metal arm still. It had taken a lot of conditioning to break her of the trembles. The worm moved; she tracked it silently, tracing its movement with her gun before firing off a single round. It exploded into a cloud of green blood. Scarlett all but clapped her hands at the effort. 

"Jolly good! I think it's time we talked, Nisha. Come with me, I don't want the crew hearing this yet. Don't want to dash their little hopes if it's a bust."

Scarlett trudged over to their shared quarters, beckoning for the lawbringer to follow. Nisha twirled her gun on her index finger, sliding it into her holster with a grin; it had been far too long.

When the cabin door shut behind her, she found Scarlett seated at an overlarge redwood desk in a corner of the cabin. Nisha had known it was there all along, but almost never considered the piece of furniture. Scattered across its surface was a series of nautical charts and a massive map of Pandora. There was a dagger poked through part of the map, dead center in Wurm Water.

"There you are. Take a look at this."

Scarlett pointed to a spot on the map, roughly the size of her palm. The massive tract of land was part of Central Pandora, bordering on T-Bone Junction. Nisha's Echoeye gave a series of stats. She mulled over the figures before her

"The crew's getting restless. I'd hate to kill them all; we've all been getting along so splendidly. There is a good cache of Atlas goods out there-- and rumour has it that there's treasure to be found. What do you think?"

"Sure beats sitting around and trying to figure out what to do. I've gotten used to these assholes. A new crew would take too much work to break in."

"Good! It's settled. Tomorrow we weigh anchor and hoist the main sails."

"And all that nautical shit."

They exchanged glances before laughing.

"I'm very glad you've joined us, Nisha."

"Hell, I'm glad you saved me." Nisha realized what she said and felt her face burning.

"It's alright, I don't expect you to say those three little words. But only as long as you stop attempting to murder me."

"I only hit ya 'cause I like ya, Scar."

"You're impossible."

The gunslinger grinned, her gold eyes narrowing just slightly as if to say 'well, you picked me'. 

Things could have been worse, but they had so much to do in the new stretch of sandy sea. Maybe there was a corny metaphor in there somewhere, but Nisha wasn't much for sentimentality. Actions spoke louder than words, after all. Scarlett would just have to settle for fucking on her desk. And no mentions of the other four-lettered l word. At least, not yet.


	10. Mukti, Scourge of the Sands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said I wasn't going to make a tenth chapter. Then this happened. I felt it wasn't long enough for a good standalone, so here's a bonus chapter.

Nisha stood silently on the deck of the Bacchanal, hot, dry wind whipping through her inky hair. A thought crossed her mind and she pursed her lips. Down below, the crew shouted. Uneven footfalls drew closer to her.

"You never did tell me what Mukti means."

Nisha only half-turned to face Scarlett. The harsh sunlight made the scar tissue surrounding her Echo eye gleam.

"Uh, it came from the language my folks used to speak. Means salvation."

"It's an ironic name for a murderous pirate."

"I like the irony. It can also be a second chance. Never thought I'd get one of those. And here I am..."

She gestured to the nearly blood red sands surrounding them, briefly nodded at the crew down below them before the motion ended at Scarlett.

"And that makes a thousand and one thanks. You can stop now." A little smirk curled Scarlett's lips.

"Don't want you to call me ungrateful, that's all."

"Are you quite finished with this sentimentality? It doesn't suit you."

"Yeah, we've got assholes to shoot and treasure to steal."

With that, she took off, leaping down to the deck of the hovercraft they had seized. Scarlett grinned at the former lawbringer. Damn, she knew how to make an entrance.

"Now boys, I want them gallows good and calibrated. We wanted them to gasp their last, not choke it."

The huddled crew exchanged worried glances under the glare of the former sheriff. Mercy would only come from the red haired one; and she was still on the Bacchanal.

"I'll give you one chance. Tell me where the loot is and I'll make your deaths quick and mostly painless. You don't cooperate... Well, it'll hurt like fucking hell."

The Bacchanal cut through the sand, its jets hissing. Behind them on an old outcropping of rock hung four bodies. Four men were brave-- no stupid enough to hold out. The hanging was the least of their worries.  
Across the sands west of T-Bone Junction rumors traveled, telling of a pirate with gleaming gold eyes and a metal arm. She was deadlier than the acidic venom of drifters, ruthless as an alpha skag. She left a trail of corpses hanging in her wake. Even the merciless Scarlett was a blessing in comparison. The Sheriff of Lynchwood had become the Scourge of the Sands. 

It was good to be feared again.


End file.
